One Moment
by cherryBL0ssom368
Summary: After all incident ended, Eriol, Spinal Sun, Ruby Moon and Kaho left Tomoeda to England. Shaolan still had not confessed his feeling to Sakura yet. Unexpectedly, one day Shaolan's eldest sister came to Japan for taking Syaoran, who was only one son from f
1. Partr one Coming

Disclaimer : Card Captor Sakura is Clamp's Original work. All characters Viz. Video, etc., are Clamp's properties are used without permission. So the fictions are reserved for Entertainment Purpose Only. Card Captor Sakura Copy Right by Clamp, First Published by Kodansha Co. Ltd. 1996  
  
Acknowledgment: Special Thanks To :  
* Clamp Very Special Thanks To :  
* All readers ------------------------- All events in this fiction referred to mange only, thus all characters form animation or movies would not be reserved ------------------------------------------------------ Part One: Coming ------------------------------------------------------  
  
It was a beautiful afternoon. The clouds were floating and playing with the bright sunlight in the light blue sky; under the sky was Tokyo in Japan.  
  
After Eriol, Spinal Sun and Ruby moon left Tomoeda, everything turned back to normal like nothing had ever happened.  
  
Tokyo was its usual busy self these days. Narita Airport had airplanes from everywhere in the world visiting all the time. As usual, today Narita Airport had airplanes landing in its runways, and among them was an airplane from Hong Kong.  
  
A lady walked with a big traveling-bag, out of the passenger arrival port. She wore red Chinese-style shirt matched with deep blue shin length fitted skirt. It went pleasingly with her black hair, pale color skin and delicate makeup. She was catching males' eye along the path as she walked out of Narita Airport.  
  
The lady called a Taxi and entered the car.  
  
"Good Afternoon Miss, where do you want to go?" the Taxi-driver asked in a polite voice.  
  
She looked at two pieces of paper on which were written something. She considered them for a moment. "Tomoeda, please," she finally informed the rider with her strange Japanese accent.  
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
At Tomoeda Elementary School, a long ringing sound echoed thoughout the school. Students began to leave their classrooms. The favorite topic about which they chattered now was summer vacation, which was coming up soon.  
  
"Tomoyo-chan, where are you going to go this summer?" Sakura asked while putting her stationery into her school bag.  
  
Tomoyo, who was waiting for her dear friend, said, "I still don't have any plan. What about you, Sakura-chan?"  
  
"Father's doing a research project; he is very busy. It might take all this summer vacation, I guess." Sakura replied, and turned to Shaolan who was behind her, and was draping his school bag over his shoulder. "What about you Li-kun?"  
  
"U-Um?... I-I don't have any plan either," he blushed as he was facing Sakura. Tomoyo only smiled at the situation as she usually did.  
  
After saying goodbye to their friends in class, the kids started to walk out of their classroom together. Tomoyo stood near Syaoran and whispered to him, "That is a good change for you to confess to Sakura-chan, ne?" Tomoyo walked away from he quickly to the waiting Sakura who was looking at them. Sakura's eyes now focused on Syaoran's red face.  
  
"Li-kun, do you have a fever? Your face is so red," she asked, staring at him, concerned for him.  
  
"N-No, I'm fine," Syaoran shatteringly replied. Seeing Sakura's beautiful warm emerald eyes looking at him made his heart start to feed red blood to his face faster. When Sakura saw his face grow redder, she paid her concern for him more; Syaoran blushed even more.  
  
I really wish I had a video camera here, Tomoyo thought, and could not help but smile at the lovely scene in front of her.  
  
The three kids were walking together, passing out of the school gate, when they were caught and stopped by a female's voice calling the name of the boy.  
  
"Syaoran!" The elder lady called out a little louder than the previous one. She waved her right hand, trying to call their attention.  
  
A few students looked at the beautiful elder who wore the red Chinese style shirt with the long blue skirt and carried a pink round seem-to-be-a-fish- shape balloon, which was floating in front of her. Three kids whirled to the voice's direction. She smiled, walking straight to the youngsters. Syaoran's eyes widened in surprise.  
  
"Fuutie-oneesan!?" "Why you are here?" the boy asked, staring up while his sister approached them. Sakura and Tomoyo too, were surprised with the sudden unexpected event that had visited the boy.  
  
"To do business," she replied to the question, and light-heartedly shrugged.  
  
"When did you come here?" he asked while the two little girls were listening the conversation, a little confused.  
  
"Just for an hour," the young woman began, "I go to your apartment but you're not there, I guess you are here. So I put my baggage in and come to find you."  
  
"How did you know the way?" Syaoran was confused. He did not notice the round pink balloon, which was drifting at the right in front of the elder.  
  
Fuutie pointed at the round pink balloon, "Shiki-chan help me to find your trace."  
  
"Shiki-chan?" Syaoran blinked twice, looked at the balloon. "Aw!" Then he slapped his hand on his forehead. He started to lecture again, but this time mostly whispered to Fuutie, and a tiny frown was between his eyebrows. "How many times have a I told you don't use the magic creature 'Shiki' in public like this?!"  
  
"Don't be so serious brother, everyone will think Shiki-chan is just a lovely balloon, see? No one suspects my Shiki-chan." She smirked.  
  
At last Syaoran gave up and sighed. He never won any augment with his four older sisters even once. Even though he always had a good reason, he could never talk fast enough when he was talking with his four sisters.  
  
Fuutie looked at the two little girls behind her little brother, "But why don't you introduce your cute friends there?"  
  
"Hm?" Syaoran looked up; he turned to Sakura and Tomoyo. He spread out his right hand to his sister to introduce her to the girls. "This is Li Fuutie, my eldest sister," The lady smiled at the girls as Syaoran continued, "This is Daidouji Tomoyo and ..Kinomoto Sakura." Tomoyo could clearly perceive that Syaoran was blushing while he was introducing Sakura, and she smiled.  
  
Fuutie bowed in the traditional Japanese greeting gesture to the girls. "Li Fuutie, nice to meet you." Shiki-chan mimicked her, and greeted the girls too.  
  
"Kinomoto Sakura."  
  
"Daidouji Tomoyo."  
  
"Nice to meet you too," two girls said in unison, made a greeting bow back at the young woman.  
  
Fuutie bent down to the girls, looked at Sakura and asked, "Oh! You're the master of the Clow cards that Shaolan always writes about in the letters, right?"  
  
Sakura reluctantly nodded, "Y-Yes." Actually this was a secret, but since the woman was Shaolan's sister, it wasn't necessary to keep the true story a secret from her.  
  
"So, you're Sakura-chan's friend who always recorded videotapes, right?" The young lady turned to the other girl.  
  
Tomoyo nodded, "Yes," she replied and smiled gently.  
  
"Wow! I want to see when Sakura-chan catch the cards too. I want to know how cute she is when she catch the card!" Fuutie exclaimed in a clearly excited voice.  
  
Tomoyo's smile became bigger, and she said, "If you want to, I will give the copies to you tomorrow."  
  
"Really?? Thank you, Tomoyo-chan!" Fuutie twinkled at the girls cheerfully as Tomoyo smiled back. "What cute friends you have Shaolan!" Her little brother blushed in response.  
  
"Okay," elder lightly clapped her hands, regained the kids' attention, and turned her face to the girls. "For a good day like this, do you all want to eat some ice cream with me? I'll pay for you all. But you have to guide me because I don't know where an ice cream shop is." Fuutie smiled brightly to two girls, who giggled.  
  
"Yes," the girls replied.  
  
"Let's go," Fuutie cheerfully said.  
  
They walked along the side of street; Tomoyo by Fuutie's one side and Shiki- chan on the other, guided the foreigner. Sakura and Shaolan walked behind them.  
  
"Your sister is so beautiful," Sakura whispered, "You're so lucky Li-kun," She turned to smile at the boy. Her cute smile drove Shaolan to blush, and his brain took a quick holiday.  
  
"U-um," was all he could say, and nodded once.  
  
Fuutie peeked over her shoulder at two kids behind her, her lip curved up and she quickly turned back when the group arrived at a shop.  
  
The group entered the ice cream shop, of which the windows were decorated with various colors of flowers and ribbons with the sweet smell of ice creams in the shop. Customers sat in almost all the seats that the shop provided. The customers' faces showed that they were enjoying the sweet mood of the shop and the taste of ice cream they were eating.  
  
The newcomers sat down on a bench. Fuutie and Shaolan on one side, Sakura and Tomoyo sat on the opposite side. Without waiting to be called, a waiter brought menus to them.  
  
The fours looked at the menus. While the four customers had not made any order yet, the waiter stared up at the round pink balloon, which was drifting still in wonder. The waiter's eyes opened wide when the round pink balloon smiled back, and moreover bowed as if it was greeting him.  
  
If it was an ordinary animal, the waiter might have smiled and admired that it was so clever. Since it was a balloon in the waiter's eyes, that was a problem.  
  
Seeing the waiter's reaction to the magic creature, Shaolan rapidly ordered to steal away the waiter's attention from the magic creature, and the three ladies ordered after him. After finishing taking all the orders, the waiter quickly observed Shiki-chan once again before he left the customers.  
  
Shaolan turned to his eldest sister, "Fuutie-oneesan, why are you still letting Shiki drift like this?" he asked, keeping his voice soft.  
  
"Why not? Who'll know? Besides, Shiki-chan also wanted to come to Japan but had to hide in my baggage all the time while we were on the airplane. Why not let Shiki-chan have a joyful trip in Japan? ne Shiki-chan?"  
  
Fuutie turned to Shiki-chan for support to her comments. Shiki-chan nodded slightly and wheeled to Shaolan staring, a glimmer in its eyes, at him like a poor puppy dog begging for his sympathy.  
  
"Okay," Shaolan sighed in failure.  
  
Sakura and Tomoyo could not help but giggle at the cute siblings; the eldest sister absolutely loved to tease her little brother. But one thing rushed into the boy's brain when he heard the word 'baggage'.  
  
"Fuutie-oneesan, did you tell me you put your baggage in my room, in my apartment before you found me?" Shaolan asked.  
  
Fuutie turned to Shaolan. "Yes, why?"  
  
"So how can you put your baggage in my room since you don't have the key? I didn't lock the door?" The boy was confused, and the girls also started to think of that question.  
  
"Yes, you already locked it," she shrugged.  
  
"Then how?" Now the three kids were really confused.  
  
"I used my needle and tried some tricks but it didn't open so I used some strength, kicked it and it easily opened . Nothing to worry about." Fuutie told as matter of fact, "Thanks for your concern, little brother." She smiled sweetly at Shaolan.  
  
Big sweat drops appeared on the three kids' head, and they were speechless for a minute. Shaolan stood up and sighed, looking as if he had a headache. "All right, I'll call the apartment caretaker before she is shocked that you are a thief invading my room."  
  
Before Sakura or Tomoyo could say anything, he got up and went to look for a payphone. All the surprises that hit him today made him forget that we have the mobile phone, the two young girls thought. As Sakura prepared to stand up to follow Shaolan, her hand was caught by Fuutie who twinkled at her.  
  
"Let him, I want some girls' talk to you two."  
  
"Yes, Li-Fuu..Li-san," Sakura was perplexed at what to call her.  
  
Fuutie tittered as Sakura sat down, "Just Fuutie is enough."  
  
"Yes Fuutie-san," Sakura nodded, and smiled shyly.  
  
The elder lady smiled at the girls and turned to looked at Shaolan who was standing in a line with a few people in front of him that were waiting to use the phone in the shop too.  
  
"He's changed so much," Fuutie began.  
  
"Ho-e?" Sakura confused.  
  
Fuutie turned back to the girls, "I mean he's more cheerful, not so serious and reticent like before he came here." Her face changed to show a more serious expression, and made the girls' attention focus on her. She picked up her two hands, laced all her ten fingers and put them on the table, and took a deep breath.  
  
"Since our father died when he was young," she began. "Mother and we as his sisters worry so much about him, especially two things. One is he's the one who going to be the leader of our clan. Right now, mother's the leader but it's just temporary until he grows up enough. For that he must learn a lot of things and practice terribly hard. It's much more than a ten- year-old boy can take."  
  
Fuutie turned to look at Shaolan again. "Those small shoulders must carry all the hope and responsibility of our clan. He never has a chance to live or even act like other ordinary children his age. He'a completely aware what is bounding him, always uses all his effort in it, he doesn't even complain, and in addition he does things well. But I know, we all know, he feels lonely even he try to hide that feeling, doesn't want us to worry about him."  
  
Both Sakura and Tomoyo could tell that the way Fuutie looked at Shaolan was exactly the same as the way their family looked at them. It had Fuutie's love, concern, good wish, warmth unmasked on the Li sister's eye. Smiling arisen on two girls' face as they felt warmth reached them.  
  
Fuutie turned to smiling lightheartedly to the girls, "I glad that he seems to happier here," she bowed at two girls and Shiki-chan did so. "Thank you for take caring of him and be his friends," she said.  
  
Tomoyo smiled and bowed back, accepting the young woman's Thank while Sakura appeared to little startle before she bowed at the elder. Sakura did not think that she would received a formal thank from Fuutie like this. They did not say anything because the girls did not want to interrupt what Fuutie would talk next.  
  
Fuutie continued, "But another thing's so much important...." She paused, her face went darker.  
  
"What's that, Fuutie-san. If Li-kun has any problems, we'll help him because he also help me a lot besides he's our friend too, ne Tomoyo-chan." Sakura turned to Tomoyo who smiling and nodded to her in agree, then looked at Fuutie.  
  
"Yes, Fuutie-san," Tomoyo said.  
  
Fuutie gave two girls a thank smile, "Thank you very much, Sakura-chan, Tomoyo-chan." The girls smiled back to her.  
  
"So what do you worry about? Fuutie-san," Tomoyo asked.  
  
"We afraid that...Shaolan...will........" Fuutie paused again.  
  
Sakura and Tomoyo paid entire of their attention to the young woman. They suspected what was the young woman so much worry about, it might be a really big important problem, no matter what it was they would help their friend, they thought.  
  
"He will...." Fuutie hesitated to say the next motivated Sakura and Tomoyo incognizant bent forward slightly for listened what she was going to say.  
  
"Be a gay."  
  
Two girls almost slipped down to the floor for what Fuutie's clearly voice had finished. A huge sweat drops was on their each other head. Fuutie crossed her arms on her chest as she continued in serious expression.  
  
"He's only a son out of five sibling and only male in our family. I have ever watched from television and read from a book that in his case, he has the high probability to become a gay."  
  
"Um, that is a considerable problem for families today," Tomoyo added as she rested her chin on her thump and index fingers while another one crossed on her chest, the expressions of serious-think gesture.  
  
"Ho! I can't imagine what does he look if he dress like a girl," Fuutie's located her two hands on her cheeks, and shook her head slightly. Shiki- chan did too, the magic creature seemed to reflected all Fuutie gesture like a little baby.  
  
"Well, he already did, ne Sakura-chan," Tomoyo turned to Sakura who still confused and smiled, putting one hand in her school bag.  
  
"??" Was what Sakura returned  
  
"He did?!" Fuutie took aback.  
  
Tomoyo picked a photo from her school bag, and laid it in front of Fuutie pointing at the photo. "Here Fuutie-san," she said soft voice.  
  
Fuutie, Shiki-chan and Sakura leaned forward for took a clear look. That picture of Sakura wore the traditional European costume as if she was a prince. Shaolan, instead, wore a very long skirt, and long curl wig match with a crown on his head. Not only them, fairy Naoko, Shiharu, queen Rika, witch Yamazaki, all Sakura's class members on the picture.  
  
"That's the photo when we acted 'Sleeping Beauty' in School annuity day?" Sakura asked Tomoyo. The girl nodded, and smiled.  
  
"Wow! Cuteee, everyone's so cute" Fuutie exclaimed in wonder. "You too are so cute, Sakura-chan, I bet you're the prince, right?" she looked up at Sakura.  
  
"Y-Yes," Sakura's face became redden.  
  
"His role was Aurora Princess, Fuutie-san," Tomoyo informed.  
  
"No doubt, he'll make a very cute girl if he's a gay," Fuutie said amusingly caused the two girls giggling  
  
"Who is gay?" A new voice from behind startled Fuutie. Tomoyo speedily hid the picture. It was Shaolan came back after finished his business.  
  
"Nothing nothing. We're talking about you always take care of us specially Sakura-chan all the time." Distorted the truth Tomoyo said.  
  
"Ho-e?" Confused Sakura.  
  
"Yes, Tomoyo-chan's right," Fuutie confirmed. She smiled at Tomoyo as Tomoyo could get Fuutie's joke at the beginning. They got along together so nicely, though not sure for Sakura that she could get it or not.  
  
"U-Um," Shaolan blushed intensely, not bothered to question anything further. He sat down on his seat. Fuutie glanced at Sakura then her little brother and grinned.  
  
"What about your room?" Tomoyo asked him.  
  
"The caretaker is shocked, she really thinks that a thief invades my room. When I called her she was about to call policeman, but good luck not thing to be damage."  
  
"As I told you don't worry anything," Fuutie said evenly, then looked at the waiter who approached the bench they were sitting and served ice creams they had ordered.  
  
The curious waiter gazing at Shiki-chan again. Good thing that Shiki-chan did not cycled to look back because it was interesting in ice cream its master ordered, so that effected Shiki-chan was looked like an ordinary balloon, which drifting motionless. Finally the waiter ended the observation. It might be partially blind, the waiter reasoned, and therefore the waiter turned to leave the customers.  
  
After they finished to eat, they said good bye to each another and made their way back home  
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
Fuutie and Shaolan walked along the street side and arrived to apartment where Shaolan lived. Shaolan stopped in the apartment caretaker's room for a minute, and said something about sorry for complicated things his sister had did and introduced Fuutie to the caretaker. This time Shaolan command Shiki-chan that it had to pretend to be a balloon as it did so. After finished they left the caretaker's room , they walked to Shaolan's room.  
  
The boy wondered the door of his main room was not damaged as much as he though. It just only a door bolt that seemed to be obviously damaged, but all still could be used, at least until he bought a new one tomorrow. Even it was not a right tactfulness to appreciate what his sister did, but it was proven that his sister was great in estimating of power she had been used in her kick to create least damage as much as possible.  
  
"Fuutie-oneesan, which room does you want to sleep? I'll set it," Shaolan asked.  
  
"Oh, thanks brother, you haven't to do it cause I already did it." Fuutie said in gratitude.  
  
"You did? Which room?" Shaolan astonished his voice a bit louder.  
  
"There," Fuutie nodded and point at a room beside his bedroom. "I want to take a bath before dinner time," she informed him. Then she walked to her room picked a towel and entered bathroom left Shiki-chan outside as it settled down itself on the counter bar, which was in main part of Shaolan room.  
  
Shaolan went to the room that now was sister bedroom, for checking what would be needed more and his sister might forgot. The room was already set completely as his sister said. A bed, bed cloth, pillows, all her outfits were put in a wardrobe in the room. Everything was more than ready for Fuutie to stay or sleep in.  
  
No wonder she could find a right way to bathroom, Shaolan though before left the room.  
  
An hour later Fuutie went out form bathroom, wearing her pajamas. Shaolan was preparing stuffs for dinner; and Shiki-chan was beside him. They looked like Kero-chan was drifting beside Sakura when she was cooking. The young woman walked peered over one of her little brother's shoulder to see what he was doing.  
  
"What are you cooking?" Curious Fuutie asked.  
  
"Ramen," he replied as he almost finished cooking only boiled noodles in soup dinner would be ready to eat. "Do you want to eat now?"  
  
"Yes, your Ramen is very delicious, I'll set the table," joyful Fuutie and Shiki-chan started to set table.....actually Shiki-chan just drifting on its master's side, gazing its master set dinning table.  
  
Shaolan carried a tray of Ramen out off kitchen and walked to the table near to reach the table.  
  
"Tomoyo-chan and especially SAKURA-chan is very cute, ne Shaolan," Fuutie spoke out loud, half playfully and stressed her voice on Sakura's name.  
  
He slipped with the tray in his hand immediately when he hard what Fuutie had said, however not lost his balance to allow the boiling water boiled himself. He quickly placed the tray on the table, his face was red.  
  
When she saw the little boy flushed she grinned evilly and said, "I know your class performed 'Sleeping Beauty' and YOU WAS AURORA princess, right?"  
  
"Wha--"  
  
"And SAKUR-chan was THE PRINCE, right?"  
  
"How--"  
  
"By the story prince has to KISS princess to wake her up, right?"  
  
"O--."  
  
"I wonder did prince SAKURA gave a REAL KISSED to Princess SHAOLAN?"  
  
"Onee--"  
  
It's fun to tease him, Fuutie enjoyed, she not to let him a chance to protest her. "Do you like Sakura-chan?" She paused and bent down face on boy's eye level, grinning wickedly, "or.." She looked up like she thought the exactly word which named the feeling, which much more than the word 'like'  
  
"LOVE?" She finished.  
  
Shaolan blushed even deeper, now his face was the same color of tomato sauce that located at the center of dinning table.  
  
"Have you told Sakura-chan that YOU LOVE HER?" Fuutie stopped, waiting for answer but the answer her little brother gave her was silence and blushed furiously, even deepen. She grinned, all things was easy to obvious and understood.  
  
"I guess you haven't told her YOU LOVE HER." She stressed an over stressed every word that enforced boy's heart danced faster, and she succeeded as his face turned red much enough to make not-really-knew-what- was-going-on Shiki-chan startled.  
  
Fuutie enjoyed the moment of terrible embarrassment of little brother for a while, the eldest sister never ever seen her little brother embarrassed till today and she knew that was meant her brother was falling in love with a girl.  
  
Suddenly her face broke to darken incisively as the same whenever she though that what was bounding her little brother from ordinary happiness that everyone could get if that person had not to take whatever her little brother must take. This was not fun if considered of what she was going to tell him  
  
Again Fuutie tried to control her face.  
  
"Shaolan," Fuutie called him as he lifted his red face looked at her. Shaolan looked at the face of the woman who teller than he. He saw Fuutie's facial expression changed, to the warm smiled to him like his mother always did.  
  
The young woman knelt down in front of the little youngster, looked deep in his eyes as concerned on her face, took a deep breath.  
  
"Shaolan," she began, "All Clow cards was collected, right?" She said every word softly but totally clear, her face was serious still.  
  
He hesitantly nodded lightly, staring still on the face in front of him.  
  
"The judgement from Yue was done, changing of Clow cards was completed, Clow Reed's reincarnation, what was his purposes and he achieved it, right?"  
  
He nodded again.  
  
"Do you remember your real purpose when you came here was?" Her face was delicate like Chinese goddess soft, warm, gentle. She tried her best to do it  
  
Chill dashed and stubbed through his backbone like he knew what was Fuutie going to tell him. He could do nothing but wryly nodded and tried to utter his voice from his dry throat. He gulped and looked down on the floor his heart beat faster.  
  
"...S-Seal Clow card to prevent the d-disaster," he replied but his voice like whisper than talking. Red color of life, of embarrassment, which was on his face minute ago, was all vanished, his face pale. His hands were clenched to be fists.  
  
"All things was done, no any diastase happen, Shaolan, our real purpose have been done. You did the excellence job. For the duty, you must stay in Japan for a year. We're so proud of you." Fuutie gentle patted his head lovingly, starring in his eyes. "I know you miss home as we do. Especially mother, she really think of you so she quickly sent me here for takes you back, to our home, Shaolan."  
  
Every word was clear, it was clear enough to cause he gasped for taking an oxygen because he felt was difficult to breath. He gasped because he heard something he did not want to.  
  
Not like he did not miss his family, he missed his mother, all his four elder sisters. When he saw Fuutie was here in Japan, he was so glad even that he did not show his emotion out. But he did not want to leave Japan because someone bounded his heart  
  
However since he was 'Li Shaolan' who was bounded by all of the responsibility and hope of his clan. He must learn a lot of thing and practiced so terrible heard, as the matter of Fuutie's every word nothing less than that in ordered to be the leader of clan.  
  
Shaolan's brain was blanked, he did not want to think, but it dashed in. He knew, always knew what his sister told him would happen but it still....hurt. Hurt because of he was bounded by family responsibility as he was 'Li', not his family.  
  
For Fuutie, she knew lie or pretending, refused the truth would not help, It would much hurt if he knew at ending. Her naive little brother hurt, she knew went away from his friends, ......from Sakura-chan, it was hurt. He bound with Japan more than she thought.  
  
Saw little boy was standing still, glancing on the floor, two fists lightly shook. She felt more than terrible pity to him. Her dear ten years old brother was hurt by her words. She felt herself not less than demon in making the boy hurt.  
  
Fuutie leaned forward and used her two hands hugged him, consoling her little brother was all she could does now. Shaolan did not resisted but he not hugged back.  
  
"When we'll go?" Evenly tone in boy's voice asked.  
  
"One week from now," Fuutie said clammily.  
  
"Um," he accepted. Shaolan gentle pulled his sister out released himself.  
  
Eldest sister could see her little brother. He was crying but did not had any noise of sniffling or sobbing, had no tear on his face, no emotion. His face just blanked that was the way he cried. Lament? Frustration? Or glad for coming home? She did not know but she could realize that he......shocked. Her eyes traveled along the boy as he walked toward his bedroom.  
  
"Where did you go?" Fuutie asked worrying.  
  
"I want some rest," his voice nearly whispered.  
  
"S-Syaoran," Fuutie paused, thought about she must talk something but what. "Wha-What about dinner?" Asked Fuutie, Why did I say that silly thing?? She rebuked herself.  
  
"I'm not hungry, goodnight Fuutie-oneesan," the last sentence was out as Syaoran closed the door of his bedroom faintly.  
  
Fuutie took a breath, I want this news surprise him but it's not what I want.. She looked at Syaoran through the door of his bedroom, her eyes was sad.Poor brother, he upset more than I though. He didn't open his mouth to protest, I guess he even didn't think an excuse to live here.  
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
In bedroom, Syaoran lied on his bed, awaking still. He did not turn on the light in his bedroom, only staring out to through window in his room, staring at stars that were twinkling to esteeming their starlight against the moon and the sky in the night. He did not think anything just staring.  
  
For Syaoran, he was....shocking by the new hit him like a thunderbolt.  
  
He was tied by two bounds that he considered worthily than himself, but he already made his decision.  
  
Decision that he had no other choice to choose.  
  
The decision would be what he recognized of it for a long time. The decision that was honors and pride of the family.  
  
Even that decision was scrambling his friend from him. He knew all his classmate in school was good person and be his friends. Not like Hong Kong that just respected him, almost feared of him because of his family's reputation. All of them put him on alter above their heads, that was so.............lonely.  
  
Even that decision was scrambling his heart from him tore him from his first love.  
  
But how he could let any selfish of his own happiness enclosed his mind? His mother, his family thought of him, everyone was waiting for him to go back. He must do that decision because he was born as Li's members but his life he got was not his life.  
  
One thing that he thought it was good now was he did not confessed his feeling to Sakura yet. If he did, it might hurt even more than now.  
  
-------------E N D--------------- To Be Continue Next ------------------------------------ Bubbling with cherryBL0ssom about the story:  
  
Hello! All dear reader, as I must said this is my first CCS fiction & first fiction that I succeed to send it to home page. ^-^ So it might not good as others but I will try to improve myself, as CLAMP's thick fan I swear next will coming in few mouth, in case that is so late & I have an exam. (your comment & complementary will help me a lot, ) For the story, well, I think I want this fiction to be one short but it long than I thought and I don't think it will be somewhat almost dark like this.  
  
What about you? What do you think with this? Let me know, don't be shy, your comment is very important for my life, even your want some chat with me about his story also very important with me than you think, you know.  
  
Hardest things of thins part?? Um..How Fuutie will tell Syaoran and What Syaoran reacted, were hardest. I used almost 6-7hours for changed and considered it and changed back and considered it. What you have read is somehow darker than another one.  
  
Anyway, Your chitchat with this story, your comment, etc are very welcome and very important to my life _ Pleaseeee, at least if you pity me enough REVIEW  
  
e-mail me at cherryBL0ssom368@yahoo.com and chat with me at yahoo as cherryBL0ssom368@  
  
HOPE U ENJOYED THIS! 


	2. Part Two Thinking

------------------------------------------------------ Part Two: Thinking ------------------------------------------------------  
  
The sun lingered up from horizon as every morning, shining its golden light was the sign of a new day began. Living things was wakening by the sunlight. Birds started to stretch their wings out for flying from their nest. They used their sharp angelic voices they had, uttered in enchanting rhythmical, as if they were singing a song of nature.  
  
Tomoeda was immersed with the brightness of a new day as usual. Someone was waking up as the light traveled to, while someone would be weaken up later.  
  
Even so Shaolan did not wake up since he had not slept last night. He just lied on his bed and viewed out the window in his bedroom. He waited for a new day in Tomoeda was tardily created.  
  
Shaolan sat on his bed, stood up and walked to bathroom. He took a bath, brushed his teeth, practiced morning training. All his is activities in this morning still like every morning, but after his eldest sister had told him he had to go home next week....no, six days, made all things dissimilar to him.  
  
He clothed a light yellow apron, for preparing breakfast. The boy's emotional states almost soften when his eyes snatched a piece of paper on dinning table that noted a concise massage to him.  
  
[To My Dear Brother;  
If you hungry in mid-night, your Ramen is in refrigerator.  
And please don't be so sad  
Love Fuutie.]  
  
Shaolan respired, his knew his eldest sister worried about him. He did not ever want his family to worry about him, but every time he tried to hide his sadness, his family also knew every time as well.  
  
After the meals were prepared, Shaolan walked to, now, Fuutie's bedroom, in favor of calling her to ate breakfast. When he opened the bedroom he saw his sister was sleeping comfortable on her new bed, with Shiki-chan which its stomach was encountering the ceiling of the room, lied more than comfortable beside its master's pillow.  
  
Seeing his sister and the magic creature were resting so well, he closed Fuutie's bedroom door. The kindhearted boy did not want to disturb them.  
  
When Shaolan finished his meal.....not really finished by eating the meal, he finished it by staring and playing his meal to full. He washed his plate and picked a piece of pager, wrote some note.  
  
[To Fuutie-oneesan;  
I am go to school. If you wake up your breakfast is on dinning table.  
Don't worry anything about me, I'm fine.  
Shaolan]  
  
He placed his note on the dinning table, grasped his school bag and opened the door in the main room. Blocked Shaolan looked at the damaged door bolt. He thought, I have to fix this bolt. He paused woefully, For the new tenant who'll live here after I leave. He gentle closed the door, went to school, which ending semester was coming in three days.  
  
Sound of closed door woke Fuutie up. She sat up sleepily. She gazed through closing door of her bedroom and then Shiki-chan, which was ignorant sleeping.  
  
Fuutie smiled, trickled its obviously seen stomach. Her smile became a grinned when it did not wake up. Instead, it trundled itself like a rolled bucket. When she gave the trickle attacks again, Shiki-chan also trundled its round body again. Sleeping Shiki-chan want to get away from something annoyed its happy sleep.  
  
At last, she gave up, allowed the drowsy magic creature performed its happy sleep. Fuutie stood up, stretched out her arms and opened her bedroom door, rode to the main room. She picked a note Shaolan left to her to read the massage.  
  
Young woman's face saddened after she read the note. You hide yours feeling all the time Shaolan, but you are not good in it. Even Shiki-chan won't believe you that you're fine as you say.   
  
Fuutie closed her eyes to think. She had to take him back. Everyone in family missed him. 'Li' clan needed him to go back and he knew he must. She did not expect the situation to be like this. When she had arrived here she had not told him the reason why she came, she wanted this news was surprised, the happy surprised for him that he could go home as his all duties had done.  
  
Yes, this news surprised the little boy, as she wanted to but only surprising that she got....  
  
Since she realized that someone, who was in Japan, bounded her brother's heart, she was hesitated to take him back. For Fuutie's point of view, she still thought that Shaolan should go home. He was only a ten years old boy, even he acted as if he was not. He stilled was a kid that should go home, go back to the clan, go back to their family.  
  
She sighed, put the note down on the table, gazing at the door that her little brother had left. She shook her head to clear her thought, reached to her handbag. She plucked two piece of paper note. One noted Shaolan's dwelling in Japan. Another one was noted an address she was going to go.  
  
She walked to bathroom for taking a bath, she thought, it was time to wake sleepy Shiki-chan up to go out with her to find the traces of the place she was going to go, made sure she would not get lose.  
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
Shaolan was walking lazy on street side; it was the way to go to school. He looked at the side of the path he walked to school every day. Trees ornamented all along the path, all it was cherry-blossom trees.  
  
He remembered, the first day he had walked through this path to Tomoeda Elementary School, he had not much paid attention to it. He, on the contrary, had had a strong attempt that he must gather all the Clow cards as quick as possible. For preventing the disaster that would occur if the card scattered, because he was 'Li', Clow Reed's relative.  
  
When the first time he had met the girl who had been card capture, he had coerced her to give all cards she had at that time to him. Coercing girl was a thing he never wanted to do.  
  
But since capturing the cards was the really dangerous task, for certain if she still had doing it, the cards might injure her someday. He had suspected what Cerberus though, why that guardian had chosen a girl to do such a dangerous thing?  
  
If he had hesitated, and the cards had showed up, the girl might be in dangerous. Indeed the reasons had driven coercing seemed to be the best choice, for making the girl gave Clow cards to him as quick as possible. For a stranger girl's safety, if she had hated him for coerced her, he would have to accept.  
  
But the girl's big brother had darted in the way. The guy made his plan failed. May be, it was the starting point that phlegmatically brought the boy's attention on the girl who had been the captor of the Clow cards.  
  
For many times that she had nearly been injured by capture the cards, what would happen if he had not been there at that time?  
  
But the girl had not seemed to dread of several dangerous she had faced. He did not understand, even today; whether she was a stubborn girl or due to Cerberus instigated the girl.  
  
He guessed it might be last one.  
  
For him, could not only stand and looked a girl was in dangerous, even that person was a stranger. It was an automatically reaction, as a male, that he had to protect this stranger girl.  
  
Subsequently many things had happened, drove his mind to consequence of unknown slowly changing. From protecting the stranger girl as it was male responsibility, maturated to yearn, by his volition, to protect this girl...  
  
He did not know when she had started to encircle his heart. However since he had known his heart, his feeling for her became so much stronger than he could ignore them.  
  
As something arose in his heart, for now, Shaolan always gazed at the cherry blossom trees whenever he passed them. He could not help, but the trees made him thought of the girl. The girl who had been the captor of the Clow cards. The girl who was the master of Clow card. The girl, who was named alike the name of flower of the tree. The girl named Sakura.  
  
Once he could regain his mind again, he found himself was going into the school's gate. Abruptly, A boy whose eyes were appeared to be curved lines on his face, Yamazaki, calling him, cut off Shaolan's commemorations.  
  
"Good morning, Li-kun. You come so early today." Yamazaki approached him  
  
"Um," The chestnut hair nodded.  
  
"Ah," black hair boy inhaled morning fresh air. "I love morning," he turned to Shaolan as they enter the school's building. "You know, the ancient Egypt said children have to wake up in the morning, because children need power to survive from the god of sun. Do you know why? It because of children in that era was so easily died if they got a disease. Their parent believed that if children could get power from 'Ra', which was the god of the sun, in the morning, they would not died if they got a disease. So that was why children have to come to school in the morning."  
  
While babbling boy was saying the story, Shaolan was only starring at his friend still. He did not listen. He would always curiously listened, as well as totally believed what Yamazaki often told him, in case of he had a nothing to think.  
  
He thought back that Yamazaki was the first one who offered friendship to him. As friend, Yamazaki always took care of him, when he earlier was a student of Tomoeda Elementary School. Besides Yamazaki always told him many interesting things, and he enjoyed to listen the stories. Yamazaki genuinely was a good person.  
  
Not only Yamazaki. Tomoyo and all in class also was good person.  
  
Before Shaolan came here, he never had a chance to make friend with others kids in his age. When he had a chance when he was in Japan, nonetheless he did not know how to react with them, how to make friend with them. It was entirely new to Shaolan.  
  
On the other hand they seemed did not care, they walked to him, asked him to be their friend voluntarily. This was the first time he had a friend who not fear of him like persons he knew in Hong Kong.  
  
He would miss all his friends and everyone in Tomoeda...a lot.  
  
Then he decided that he would used this three days before summer vacation, before he went home, to be an ordinary kid. To talk, to smile, to laugh, joined with his friend before the chance with them left him.  
  
When Yamazaki ended his bubbling, he noticed that his friend did not listen to him but thought something, gazing at his face. Black hair boy send suspicious looked to Shaolan.  
  
"Hm? What Li-kun?" Yamazaki asked.  
  
"Hm?" Shaolan's brainwork was alarmed back to the reality. "Nothing, just thinking," he smiled delicate warmly directly to Yamazaki.  
  
The black hair boy's mouth hung down in shocked. Yes, Yamazaki used to see Shaolan's smile before, but when the cinnamon hair did he did not aware himself that he smiled. This was the first time Shaolan intentionally to smile directly straight to Yamazaki.  
  
The boy put one hand on Shaolan forehead. "Hmm... no fever. Li-kun, are you okay?" Yamazaki asked worrisome.  
  
Shaolan send confused blinked twice to Yamazaki; "I'm fine. What wrong?"  
  
Yamazaki drew his own hand from Shaolan's forehead, "N-No, nothing." Yamazaki did not instruct anything further but thought. May be, it is going to rain. Yamazaki turned his curve line eyes up to the bright sky of the morning. Poor thing, I'm not bring an umbrella with me today.   
  
When Shaolan entered classroom, he paid his delicate smile and greeted all students in class. Doubtless, they all were shocked, and did exactly the same what Yamazaki had done, patted Shaolan's forehead, checking for his pyrexia and thought. Today is going to rain, they thought.  
  
"Good morning," two sharp cheerful voices greeted everyone in class. It was Sakura and Tomoyo who held a paper bag in her left hand.  
  
"Good morning," Shaolan smiled, greeted the girls.  
  
It took few seconds for Sakura and Tomoyo to gather each other consciousness back to the occurrence, when they saw the boy was smiling to them. He might be happy because his sister came in Japan, the girls thought, before they greeted him back.  
  
"Good morning, Li-kun." They said, as they sat on their seat.  
  
Tomoyo gave the paper bag she brought to Shaolan. In side it was videotapes, certainly, it was the videotape Tomoyo had promised to give to Fuutie.  
  
At the same time that Shaolan took the bag, Sakura said amiably, "You look very happy today, Li-kun. I guess because Fuutie-san's in Japan, isn't it?"  
  
"U-Um," He stammered uncomfortable.  
  
"Li-kun, what business Fuutie-san has to do in Japan?" Tomoyo beautiful voice asked.  
  
Shaolan's face saddened but he quickly hid it, by his smiling mask, smiling to the girls. "N-Nothing, just travelling."  
  
Shaolan did not know how to tell Sakura that he was going home. He did not even know that how could he bring himself to tell her. Sakura's sad face was what he never ever wanted.  
  
However the boy's mask could not cover what he wanted to hide from Tomoyo's excellent eyesight. She perceived Sakura through the lens of video camera for a long time. As if a photographer, she could snatch something, some tiny emotion that others could not.  
  
Something wrong with him? Tomoyo could assure Shaolan tried to enshroud something. He was, same as Sakura in this point, not a good liar.  
  
During the bright fresh morning of school day, summer drizzly rain fell.  
  
As expect, all students in Sakura's class commented for the natural phenomenon, which had given a presage they could betoken it was going to happen. Excluded three persons, Sakura, Tomoyo and the last one, who was a presage of the natural phenomenon, Shaolan.  
  
Rain fell throughout of the morning before stopped. No one, but only God could comprehend whether Shaolan's extraordinary smile or his sorrow that caused the rain.  
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
At the apartment, in afternoon, young woman opened the door of Shaolan's dwelling, this time she did not used any of her special techniques, but used a key her brother gave her.  
  
Fuutie and Shiki-chan just came back from business, she had gone out in the morning. She dressed a white suit with long brown shin length fit skirt. Her outfits she wore today appeared more formal. Depleted of energy Fuutie eyed down to her wristwatch. It was one twenty six o'clock.  
  
Ah! What's climate in Japan?! Rain in morning, burning hot in afternoon! I'm tied, tied, tied. I want to take a bath! Want to have a nap!   
  
Fuutie quickly grasped a towel, walked to bathroom left Shiki-chan outside. Climate-Hot and humid made her mood spoiled. Taking a bath was the wonderful cure for her mood. Every woman loved to bathe.  
  
For a period of time, joyous and relax Fuutie came out from bathroom with a scent of fresh clean perfume soap. She glanced at Shiki-chan, saw it was playing something. She curiously peered over Shiki-chan's fin, wanted to know what it was playing with. That was a paper note Shaolan had left to her before she had out. Instantaneous, the note drove her to a memory of her sorrowful reaction of little brother.  
  
She slumped herself down on a sofa in the main room, she thought that she knew what was the cause of her little brother sadness...departing from Sakura- chan. No one on the earth wanted to see to cause of unhappiness of person they loved, unless they were somewhat psychopaths.  
  
Should she take him home? She thought about it, since she saw the reaction of her little brother on last night.  
  
Shaolan had to be the leader of 'Li' clan. This was the most heavyweight thing and Shaolan had strong intention to do it by himself, by his own will. He got hold of it as his duty that he had to do.  
  
Notwithstanding in account to be the leader, he was going to departing from the girl he loved. Was it fair for him? She thought. Fuutie cogitated she had to do something but what?  
  
If she insisted to bring him back home, ripped him from Sakura, no doubt he would be sad, and she did not want to destroy the picture of her brother happiness. But if he did not go back home, It was disgraceful to the clan. Even Shaolan himself, certainly did not to disgrace to the clan he did cherish.  
  
What she could do? She thought.  
  
She rested her head on her both hands behind her neck, gazing to the ceiling of the room. If I know more about the situation... On the spur of the moment she jumped on her feet, That's it! For helping Shaolan, I needed more information, may be I can make some solutions out, she thought.  
  
Corresponding with the situation, a detective spirit haunted her. She clapped her hands in determination. Little boy did not come yet. It was a great opportunity to perform her investigation.  
  
"First rule of detective Fuutie," she held her right fist straight up to the air, "Search the data I needed from things near the target." She quickly gripped Shiki-chan's fin, "Come on assistance Shiki-chan. It's time for looking for an information."  
  
Detective Fuutie and temporary assistance Shiki-chan moved stealthily, swift entered Shaolan's bedroom, starting her investigation.  
  
In Shaolan's bedroom, everything were arranged and clean, easy for the temporary detective Fuutie to ransack... no, not ransack, to search for more selective information that would be support her plan to help her little brother.  
  
She expertly searched for the selective information she wanted every centimeter in the bedroom. All a sudden her eyes arrested a notebook, which looked like a diary, on a desk. It might be Shaolan diary, she thought, while grasped the diary in quick curiously.  
  
Shaolan, I don't want to pry your private things. But for your sake, I can't let trifling things be hindrances in helping you. Fuutie reasoned out before excitedly opened the diary. What she excused appeared manifest opposite with what she was doing.  
  
Fuutie and Shiki-chan sat down on Shaolan's bed and began to read things the boy had written in the diary. What events he had passed through. What was he thought. What was in his mind. How he lived in Japan. The school, teachers, his friends, his fight with Cerberus, his glaring fight with Touya and...Sakura. All was put down in to his diary.  
  
For many times while she was reading, Fuutie would had distracted smiles were garnished on her face.  
  
How much Shaolan wanted to make friend with other. How many times he tried to smile, but his dead strenuous face did not obeyed to him. Fuutie too, could not imagine how do he looked if he had a cheerful smile on his little face. She could sense Shaolan's rosy burnished red aura. This aura same as yesterday she had teased the little boy, when she read what he had described about Sakura. Fuutie laughed softly when she read the thought of the little boy in the diary. How much Tomoyo teased him about Sakura. His dramatic bad luck when he tried to confess his feeling to Sakura.  
  
She was surprised when she knew that someone in Japan dared to have glaring fight with Shaolan. No one in Hong Kong dared to do it, specifically that person was Sakura's big brother. Kero-chan was not count. However, by what the boy had written, he did abominate neither Kero-chan nor Sakura's big brother.  
  
Fuutie beamed lightly. Everyone in Tomoeda was good person. Her brother had much good memories, while he was here.  
  
The last page had been read. Fuutie closed the diary, let a downhearted breath out. She lied her back down on the bed she sat, still holding the diary in her hand.  
  
She coiled her head on a side, observed the diary. Poor Shaolan, now I all understand, why he looked so much hurt. Fuutie closed her eyes, tried to think how to help the pathetic boy.  
  
What could she do? She recalled to herself. Told their mother that Shaolan did not want to go home now, because Shaolan loved Sakura?  
  
In case if Fuutie told her, unequivocally their mother absolutely would help Shaolan, as much as her all effort could. Though the effort their mother had, not much enough to break the long chronicled rule of the clan. May be what their mother could do was only extended the time, allowed Shaolan to stay in Japan longer  
  
So what? Postponed the day to go back?  
  
And Shaolan loved Sakura, in precocious case, if he wanted to marry her.  
  
So what? Shaolan still had to go back, to be the leader of the clan, and not to mention he had to marry another girl that the honor elders of 'Li' clan would arrange for him. .  
  
As the family that had long tradition history, 'Li' family still endured the traditional Chinese custom. Everyone of 'Li' clan had to married by arrangement by honor elders of clan, who would make the consideration. For maintain pride, high-mightiness of the clan. No one could reject. Leader or not, they all had to follow, no matter who...  
  
Their Father also had married their mother by arrangement of honor elders. However, very good and lucky things that drove their parents had fallen in love with each other at the first sight they had met.  
  
She really wished Shaolan would get that lucky. But since her little brother would faced the problems some day, would any postponement be a good choice? That only pushed all various unresolved problems away.  
  
For Fuutie herself, she already had a secret plan for this problem. If she had to marry someone she did not love by arrangement of honor elders, she would elope... That only was a plan among innumerable emergency plan she had on her head.  
  
Nevertheless, this plan did not work with Shaolan, she fully understood it.  
  
Shaolan was only one son from five siblings. He had been being tough that himself was bone for the clan, since he was a little boy than he was today. Congratulation for the excellent teaching, that thinking was etched on his brain, in his innate character. Shaolan always thought of the clan before himself. He always valued the clan worthier than himself; he would never abandon 'Li' clan, for his own happiness...  
  
It was not meant Shaolan cherished 'Li' clan more than Sakura he loved. It was meant he cherished 'Li' clan, treasured 'Li' clan as the same he cherished treasured Sakura. He treasured the both of them more than his own self. However when he had to chose one from the two. When the line of love and the line of duty were parallels that would not intercept with each other, he chose 'Li' clan.  
  
Not odd for Shaolan if he would make that decision. Sakura herself according his diary seemed not aware of his feeling, as long as he did not tell her.  
  
It was clear visible. He meant to kept his feeling, not let the girl knew, and left the girl who was his beloved as a friend. If he left her as a friend, it would not hurt Sakura. Like the teacher named Mizuki and a part of Clow recantation, Eriol that the girl missed them but not hurt.  
  
Withal if someone asked who would be hurt most?  
  
That person was Shaolan. No one but him... Only him....  
  
Shaolan still was Shaolan Fuutie knew. Shaolan that kinder than anyone. Shaolan that gentler than anyone. Shaolan that honest than anyone. Shaolan that...altruistic than anyone, and that also made him hurt than anyone.  
  
The thought of the question that should she took him home, was wrestling around and around Fuutie's head. She knew she should and had to bring the boy back home.  
  
You always want him happy like other ordinary person could get, but you' re going to ruin his happiness with your bare hand? Another part was screaming to protest. She closed her eyes lift her palm of her free hand to cover her eyes, to think. How could she do?  
  
Then flicked herself up to sit, Hey! But consulting mother was not a bad choice. I might get some good idea.   
  
She peeked at an alarm clock on the top of Shaolan's bed. It was three forty o'clock, which was close to the time school ended, she guessed it was. She jumped to stand up. She had a plan to remedy sorrowfulness of the youngest brother, even this could not help much, but it still worth.  
  
Today I'll make a wonderful dinner for him. But before that I have to call mother... She paused, as she realized that she had a little problem now. How 'Collect money at terminal' was pronounced in Japanese?   
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
The rest of the day, Shaolan acted as usual, but one thing was added, his smiles. He seemed to very cheerful today, talked and smiled like an ordinary kid, which was odd to his ordinary behavior.  
  
Almost all students in class inquired the cinnamon hair boy, worried that he might be ill. Yamazaki tried to take him to school's nursing room when seeing the Chinese boy soft laugh, but the boy affirmed them that he was all-fine. His shocked everyone by his absolutely new behavior; however they also appreciated that Shaolan had a good smile, which was good thing. If he did not smiled because he was not to be ill, it meant he happy, and they loved to see their friend happy.  
  
Although everyone had that positive thought, but only Tomoyo did not think so. Something dead wrong with cinnamon hair boy, and he was trying to, somewhat, enshroud that thing under his smiling mark. No one could point out for the reason that they too busied to surprise with the new things Shaolan did. Albeit the new behavior induced Tomoyo's attention focused on him all day, despite the fact that not much as attention she had on Sakura.  
  
The last period of today was ended with an acquainted long ringing sound echoed implied as a signal. Everyone said goodbye and separated from each another, made their way home.  
  
Sakura, Tomoyo and Shaolan, who was holding the pager bag in his hand, walked out from the elementary school.  
  
"Good bye, see you two tomorrow, Tomoyo-chan, Li-kun." Sakura smiled, waved her hand to the kids behind her.  
  
"Good bye, see you tomorrow, Sakura-chan." The long black hair girl smiled backed to her dearest friend.  
  
When Sakura was turning to her own way, Shaolan called her. "S-Sakura,"  
  
"Ho-e? What, Li-kun?" The girl responded as she smiled adorably, looked at the boy in front of her.  
  
Shaolan uncomfortable lightly blushed. He had a full talent to increase his blood pressure whenever he faced his beloved. He looked at the girl meaningfully a second, hesitated to say something to her, but for some reason, he changed his mind.  
  
"N-Nothing, good bye," Shaolan said, his face turned to presence a gentle smile to Sakura, grief, pain were under his mask.  
  
"Ho-e?" The boy's gesture baffled Sakura, however she smiled brightly back at her two friends. "Bye, see you tomorrow." She swirled, and disappeared quickly on her path, left the two kids.  
  
View of Sakura disappeared, Tomoyo's grievance calm face revolved to Shaolan who was staring at an image of unseen Sakura in front of him.  
  
"Li-kun, are you all right?" Tomoyo asked.  
  
Shaolan turned to looked at her, Why today I've been asked this question so many time? He suspected. "I'm all right, not sick," he said with equally voice, turned to look at the path Sakura had left.  
  
Tomoyo shook her head slightly and said, "That's not what I mean."  
  
Perplexed Shaolan looked back to the long hair girl aside him, as she continued by using her gentle tone in her voice. She gazed straight to his eyes, delicate expression, as if she could read his mind. "Yes, you don't get any sick, but you are upsetting."  
  
Her statement forced Shaolan's eyes widen, looked at her again, as she did not break the eye contract. Beholding the boy reaction made she knew she got in right way. "Is it associates to why Fuutie-san come here?" Tomoyo paused, waiting for the boy's answer.  
  
"U-Um," cinnamon hair boy, standing still, nodded. His melancholia was revealed.  
  
From Shaolan totally new odd behaved all school day, his melancholy which to be seen now, and if all of it was annexed with why Fuutie came in Japan. Only one thing could pop up on Tomoyo's intellect.  
  
"Is it about going back to Hong Kong?"  
  
The words made Shaolan stunned. He twisted his face away from Tomoyo, void eye contract. What he tried to enshroud was hauled out by her intelligence. However, he thought, recently they would know this, even if he still did not know how to tell them. It was not bad if Tomoyo could find out by herself.  
  
"Um," he lightly nodded.  
  
"When?" Little surprised Tomoyo asked. She, now rightfully anxieties over anticipated events.  
  
"Next six days," he said evenly tone. His pair of sad eyes was staring along a path in front of him.  
  
Two kids were under the magic spell of silence of a while. Tomoyo could only stared at Shaolan. He was a very kind person. His kindness seemed to extend unlimitedly if it was associated with Sakura. Tomoyo knew Shaolan did not loved Sakura less than she did. He ceaselessly protected Sakura. He infinitely thought of Sakura first before his own, ready and willing to do anything for Sakura's happiness, for Sakura who he loved.  
  
Separating from the person who was beloved was truthfully hurt, and now.... Shaolan was confronting with that hurt. She could feel pain and hurt were furiously burning under his utterly tranquil facial expression.  
  
"You're going to tell Sakura-chan, but you change your mind, because you don't want to make her sadden for what you are going to tell her, don't you?"  
  
Shaolan heartless swayed his head, his face was drank down slightly. "That's one part, I rather don't know how to tell her that's another."  
  
"Do you... really have to go?" Tomoyo's orate was more like requested him for reconsideration than a question.  
  
The boy gave her a nod, his eyes becalmed, miserable calmed. "I must."  
  
His two words caused Tomoyo's persuading ability was knocked off. It was the truth that he must go back to his clan. It was the truth that she could not debate. But...  
  
"What about yours feeling for Sakura-chan?" Tomoyo asked.  
  
Shaolan felt like he was galvanized by the name, emotionless stunned, as he already prepared himself to took this pain. Tomoyo continued, "Would you going to tell her your feeling?"  
  
The girl gasped, flapped the tip of her four fingers to shut her mouth when she saw the boy face darkened painfully. His jaw was clinched tight, appeared like this was a big unassailable wall he built to defend; not to countenance his emotion was detonated. His both hands that were clenched stringent into fists were grappling all control he had, and arrested it into him. Not to lose his all control he was endeavoring to maintain.  
  
The cinnamon hair boy took air into his lunge, used his all strength to open his mouth to answered the interrogation. "No," Tomoyo's eyes widen reacted to the answer of the evenly voice replied her, as he went forward. "I'll leave...her as a friend."  
  
"Li-kun..."  
  
Shaolan's totally insensate voice of composure interrupted. "Do you remember what we talk in latest festival?"  
  
Tomoyo thought back to the festival that Sakura had made Yukata for Shaolan as a gift for thank. It was after Sakura realized that who Yukito loved most was not herself. At the time when Tomoyo had gave comment about Sakura's new feeling to Yukito, the feeling that he was one of her family now. Along with it, Tomoyo's question that asked Shaolan that he had not told Sakura how he felt yet?  
  
But Shaolan had said, [I saw how hard she was trying to be strong, trying not to cry, around him. If he saw her cried, he would trouble because he hurt her feeling. She knows how it feels when the person you love isn't the person that loves you. If I told her how I feel, she would think of my sadness. It would cause trouble for her... So I will not tell her. ]  
  
However Tomoyo had convinced him that Sakura was not a person who would be sad so long. If Shaolan told Sakura how he felt that his feelings would get through to her, she thought, he would get a very Sakura-like answer. Shaolan seemed more convinced by her words, not to give up to tell Sakura his feeling again.  
  
Ended the flashed back, Tomoyo nodded quietly, "Yes," she said  
  
"You said Sakura isn't a person who keep sad for long, so I would mean to tell her after she finished her observation at Tokyo Tower, but many incident happen. I still have not told her yet. Sure, I mean tell her if...." His words trailed off, trying to clear his throat. "I'm not going to leave..."  
  
"But if she know later, she'll terrible sad." She protested  
  
"She'd not know," he said made Tomoyo astounded, she was going to make another protest, but was cut off. "Because if I tell her now, it would make her more sad. On the other hand, if I'm not saying anything and...leave as a friend who goes back home. She'd only miss me as a friend, but not hurt. Even she'd sad but she'd not keep sad so long."  
  
The returning of her word made Tomoyo speechless. The situation changed, he was going to leave Japan, going to leave Tomoeda, going to left Sakura.  
  
Shaolan took another deep breath and turned to look at Tomoyo, "You love Sakura too and you don't want to see her sad, do you?" Tomoyo nodded, he was staring in the girl's eyes still. "So, don't tell her what I feel about her," he said without emotion, "This'd be the best for Sakura."  
  
Again that the girl's eyes was widen. He meant it, she thought. It was understandably seen like she was looking throughout a transparent plastic that covered his thinking.  
  
Still Tomoyo did not argue as a sharp keen pike of cunning that was protracting on his face, radiance of elegant emitted from him, was piercing her. No any sight of embarrassment when he was around Sakura, or when Tomoyo teased him. Nor character of a sinless boy that easily believed all the not-all-matters-were-the-truth stories from Yamazaki.  
  
All Tomoyo could sense was power. The power of the great leader that could lead people, undeniably and willingly to do in that way he wanted. The power of the future leader of 'Li' clan named Li Shaolan.  
  
Seeing she silenced, Shaolan took that was her acceptation for his request. Then his facial expression switched to be a forced lightly sad simpered to Tomoyo, "Thanks for Videotapes, I'll return it to you before I go."  
  
He did not gave Tomoyo a chance to talk, as he walked away, even she had, she still did not know what to talk. He did not say why he must go back to Hong Kong, but the reason could be know.  
  
[Shaolan must carry all hope and responsibility of our clan. He never has a chance to live or even acts like other ordinary children in his age. He completely aware what is bounding him.] Fuutie's speech was echoing in the girl's head as she began to walk home.  
  
Tomoyo could not frigid with the situation. It was a right thing that he had to go home, to his family even his clan did not bind him. He means to keep it and hurt his own heart?   
  
Although he was true, when things went in this way, if Sakura did not know, she would not hurt... but could Tomoyo do that? Could she let he left while things still clouded? What about Sakura? Longhair girl thought.  
  
She let her quiet sigh out. Even she did not know what to talk, but she felt she wanted to have something to talk with Fuutie.  
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
Fuutie was in kitchen, wore an apron, making her wonderful dinner she planned for delighting her little brother. However she seemed dead purely absenting mind, pondering something, something that could help her poor brother.  
  
Meanwhile sleeping Shiki-chan was got away from awful hot climate of summer by comfortable dipping in pot, which had poured some water, beside its master. Although Shiki-chan was a magic creature but fish still was a fish, as natural instinct, all fish loved water.  
  
Sound of the door in the main room was opening cause Fuutie to gaze who was coming. It was Shaolan came back from school, holding the videotapes paper bag and a new door bolt. She walked to him with a delicate smile dressed- up on her face.  
  
"You're back Shaolan," Fuutie cheerfully greeted him.  
  
"U-Um," cinnamon hair boy replied. For Shaolan, he had living alone for a while, undoubtedly that he did not used to have someone welcome him when he was home. He took off his shoes, handed the paper bag to his sister. "It's Videotape you want to borrowed yesterday, Fuutie-oneesan"  
  
"Really??" Fuutie excitingly took the bag from him, "Wow! Tomoyo-chan is a very good girl." Mild smiling, as she placed the bag on sofa and said, "Shaolan you look tired, why don't you take a bath or have some rest?" She covered the pot, which Shiki-chan was sleeping in, which was beside her by its cap, while gave her dear brother kindly look, beaming at him. "I'll cook dinner today and will call you when all is ready."  
  
"Um," he hesitantly stepped to his own bedroom. A little while later he peered out from his bedroom, "Fuutie-oneesan," he called, "if you need some help you can call me."  
  
Fuutie reversed to see anxious boy, while put the pot on gas stove in the kitchen. "Oh! Brother, you always concern about me. Thanks, don't worry anything, I can do all myself." Scintillating beamed she lit fire to boiled water as she planned to make some soup, unaware that her magic creature was in the pot that now on the gas stove.  
  
"Um," he gave a nervy responded, shut his bedroom door softly.  
  
Shaolan never saw or knew his eldest sister could cook, at home in Hong Kong, they had a chef to cook. Her fingers might be cut by a knife she held...nay, he did not think so. His eldest sister was an expert in using knifes, even used it as sharp weaponry, she would do not let herself injured. Test of her food? ... Just ate and knew, he thought.  
  
For himself, he had occasionally learned from the chef. It helped him lots while he was living alone in Japan.  
  
He threw himself on his bed, blanked gazing at the ceiling of his bedroom. Sakura... that was what he thought before he was catching some Z's drifted his consciousness.  
  
Still in the kitchen, Fuutie walked through, to sofa looked in the pager bag. There had a photo album and four to five videotapes. She took videotape and read its title. "Sakura-chan's rival appears." She grasped another, "Sakura-chan and Li-kun in festival. Sakura-chan in School's annual festival [Sleeping beauty]." Fuutie laughed softly when she thought of Shaolan princess. "Sakura-chan confronted Yue, final judgement. Wow!" Fuutie exclaimed. "It's arranged like a videotape rental shop."  
  
Fuutie smiled, arranged all she had dismantled in the bag, placed it beside an armrest's side of sofa. Tomoyo-chan is really love Sakura-chan.  
  
She propelled her own body sat down on the sofa, sigh. She had already told their mother, as expected, what mother could do was only delay the date Shaolan had to go back, but not so long. But unexpected from their mother was she said that as a leader of clan, Shaolan had to sacrifice.  
  
Sacrifice... she broke, Yes, he have to, but Baa!! I've never thought mother have that thinking! She rocked her body back and forth for a moment, frowning, as she annoyed herself that could not make anything out to help little brother. May be, you would only heart broken, Shaolan. She sighed, let egg-shape chine fell down to her clavicle.  
  
All train of though blocked Fuutie to be alerted by the rattling sound that came from the pot. Minutes later the pot turned to silence. A minute later again, Fuutie started to search around, something that always was on her side missing.  
  
Where is Shiki-chan? Fuutie stood up, walked for checking over her magic creature.  
  
She headed into her bedroom, "Shiki-chan?"  
  
Nothing.  
  
In her bathroom, "Shiki-chan?"  
  
Nothing.  
  
She carefully opened Shaolan's bedroom. Catching Shaolan was sleeping, she took a quick seek around the room, did not want to bother the sleeping boy.  
  
Nothing.  
  
She closed the door quietly.  
  
Panic began to cover her as she could sense a bad omen. She thought that her Shiki-chan was facing with something dead horror. Who could prognosticate what was the magic creature's fate would be? Fuutie wandered around the main room, peered under sofa, table, each cupboard, and each drawer.  
  
"Shiki-chan, Shiki-chan, Shiki-chan, Where are you??"  
  
Nothing.  
  
Shiki-chan never goes far from me, where's Shiki-chan?!  
  
Panic began to rise more and more became to be angry, but was cut off by the sound of boiling water. She opened the pot's cap, still looked around for her magic creature, let the snort sound of threat out, "Hmmp! Go out to wander alone and did not tell me, make me worry. What's a punishing fish!"  
  
Fuutie scooped the raw stuff to make some soup she planned to make a wonderful meal for Shaolan. About to put in to the pot, but stopped when she looked in to the pot and found...  
  
Shaolan's bedroom was tided in the steam of silence. He was sleeping deeply peacefully on his bed. He felt dire tried, as he had not slept since yesterday. What was he dreaming? All thing. His family, 'Li' clan, Hong Kong, his friends in Japan, the day he had to go home, the day he had to leave Sakura...  
  
His sleep was interrupted by Fuutie's shrillness sharp voices like fire- engine's siren when they had to extinguish somewhere that to be on fire.  
  
"AHHH!!!!!!!!!! SHIKI-CHANNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
He sudden was wakening up with a start. His sister had screamed, what were dangerous things happened to her Shiki?! He jerked himself up from his bed to rush out of his bedroom to the kitchen where his sister was.  
  
"Fuutie-oneesan!" He saw his sister was safe but crying, "What happ-" his interrogative sentence was skipped when he saw his sister taking the red- like-boiled-shrimp magic creature up with a ladle.  
  
Sobbing Fuutie turned to him with her wet eyes. "S-Shi-Shiki-chan's already be a boiled fish, Shiki-chan already die" she burst out of crying to end her words, which the boiled fish, Shiki-chan was sprawling still on a ladle in her hand.  
  
Shaolan was speechless a second, before he could collect his own consciousness and began to comfort his sister. "F-Fuutie-oneesan c-clam down, I think Shiki didn't die yet." I hope so, he added the last comment to himself.  
  
Shaolan ran rapidly to his sister. He poured some cool water to the sink in the kitchen, and set the boiled magic creature from ladle soaked into the sink. Shaolan and sobbing Fuutie observed Shiki-chan. Shaolan used his right index finger prodded the fish, which kept afloat still.  
  
No reaction.  
  
The sibling was dismayed in the first try. Fuutie was sniffling as Shaolan's palpated Shiki-chan again.  
  
No any reaction.  
  
Fuutie started to cry, harder than previous one. Their performing to rescues the magic creature's life did not work. "Shiki-chan already die!" She cried out, used her both hand covered the wetness of tear from her eyes.  
  
Shaolan used the last method, he could think to revive Shiki-chan, he lifted his hand up, slapped the coma magic creature hard as he could.  
  
Once.  
  
No any reaction at all.  
  
Twice.  
  
Hopeless, Shiki-chan was still floating, motionless... Fuutie sank into her knees cried even harder. Cognizing that the efforts were useless, Shaolan put his hand down, the magic creature had gone. It was cooked to death...  
  
He stared grieving mournfully at Shiki-chan who was floating on the water, but on the spur of the moment blinked. He felt he saw the magic creature was stirring lightly.  
  
He shook his crying sister beside him, "Fuuite-oneesan! Look! Shiki still alive!"  
  
Hearing the news, Fuutie dashed to hug the magic creature, which was now drifted fast as it could to itsmaster, scared of nearly-die-experience it had faced minute ago. Both of them were crying.  
  
"I thought you were cooked!" She cried out.  
  
Looking the magic creature was safe he sighed in relieved. After the minute of agitation passed, he brought back the horror event to reconsider. Did it funny? A magic creature could be cooked to death?  
  
He shook his head, however, I guess I won't want to eat fish for a long time, he thought.  
  
As the consequence, Fuutie's plan for wonderful dinner was ended with two cup-noodles. Shiki-chan was lied peacefully on Fuutie's bed, recuperating itself. Still, Shaolan imagined he would love to eat a cup-noodle than Shiki-chan self-sacrificed soup.  
  
Today was another the most fatigued day in Shaolan's life. He did not hungry, more than eating he needed a sleep. He ate only half of noodle.  
  
"I'm full," he said, stood up to clean his chopsticks. He headed to his bedroom, reappeared terrible weary.  
  
"S-Shaolan," Fuutie called him, her little brother turned to responded her. She felt guilty her plan failed furthermore made the boy looked more badly. She had to say something to bring up the boy's emotion but what. Anguished sister was seeking something to say awhile  
  
"W-What about your dinner?" Aw!!! I said that silly again!! Why can't I say something better than this?! She reproached herself. "I-I mean you just eat little," she salvaged her statement.  
  
Shaolan was standing still, staring at her, listening to his sister patiently. "I'm not hungry," he replied glacial tone, opened his bedroom door and entering but then he stopped. He whirled to Fuutie, "Fuutie- oneesan," he called his sister by applying serene voice caused her face looked at him. The face of cinnamon hair boy pacified his sister. "I'm fine, really. Thank you," the door was shut smoothly after the words were spoken out.  
  
Fuutie simpered gratefully, Shaolan was a very good boy, she thought. It was her brother who comforted her for her failure. Nonetheless her failure still clung on her mind, Tomorrow! I swear I'll cook the wonderful dinner for you, Shaolan! She clinched her fists staring out at the night sky of Tokyo with the fire of her full intention, as the sky was the witness.  
  
After she cleaned all things she had messed in cooking, she picked the videotapes she borrowed. Turned on the television and video player, put a video in the video player, lowed the voice volume of television. She did not want to disturb her little brother's rest.  
  
When the tape was played, she sat down on sofa, survival Shiki-chan drifted out from the bedroom to its master. Fuutie held her two hands out took hold of its round body to her arms. She caressed its seemed-to-be-forehead fondly, smiled to the magic creature.  
  
"Are you okay?" She asked in concern.  
  
Shiki-chan rolled its own body side by side implied that 'Yes master, I'm all right, see?'  
  
When Fuutie appeared that she did not truly believe, it rolled quicker and quicker tried to reassert her it was all right, till caused it felt dizzy. Shiki-chan's adorable act induced Fuutie giggled.  
  
"Okay, okay, stop roll yourself, I believe you."  
  
Dazzled Shiki-chan dropped down on Fuutie's lap softly, as it saw the world around could spin. Fuutie patted the magic creature, while she watched the video, one by one.  
  
Watched Sakura captured the 'Shadow' card, it seemed this event had occurred too soon after Shaolan come in Japan. Wow! Sakura-chan's so cute, Tomoyo have the excellent talent in making outfit. Bah! Why Shaolan was so serious pretentious? Oh! That yellow rat door might be Cerberus, how cute!   
  
Watched Sakura in annual school festival. Everyone was so cute, especially the boy who was the witch, he was very well acquainted with the plot of a story, she thought. She could not help but burst out to laugh when she watched princess Shaolan footslogged out to the platform, he was so cute. But he acted not like a princess. He acted like he was bluffing, and ready to punch the king and the queen. Sakura was so good! She too, well acquainted with the role of the prince. Regrettable the kissing screen was interrupted, according to the videotape and Shaolan diary; it was the Clow card.  
  
Fuutie watched the final judgement from Yue, Cruel, she commented.  
  
When she watched Sakura and Shaolan were confronting with the large pitfall in the penguin king garden and the invisible threads.  
  
Fuutie was surprised she saw another Shaolan's picture that she had never seen before, exploding of his emotions like this. Anxious, worry, panics about Sakura's safety.  
  
She used almost all the night time watched the videos one by one while Shiki-chan gave up in during mid-night, sleeping on its master's lap.  
  
Watching the last videotapes, Sakura and Shaolan in Japanese festival. This guy might be Sakura-chan's big brother and... another one.... He is another form of Yue?! What's total dissimilar?!   
  
She could foreknow them all from Shaolan diary. Seeing Shaolan was wearing the yukata Sakura had made for him and his shying whenever he was around her, Fuutie could assure her little brother was in love with Sakura, ascertainable profoundly truly in love with Sakura.  
  
Fuutie, instead of wishing to tease her brother, she sympathized with him. She stared at her little brother through his bedroom door. She sighed in pity. As much as he loved the girl, as much as he hurt.  
  
When she finished to watch all the videotapes, the dark night sky was nearly over by visitation of the sun. The new morning was setting.  
  
Fuutie yawned, felt asleep. She arranged all videotapes in the paper bag and head to her bedroom, brought Sleeping Shiki-chan with her. She threw away her body to lay on her bed.  
  
On account of Shaolan would never abandon the clan, would never throw off the chain of his responsibility to 'Li' clan. This was one thing he chose to accept by his decision, 'Li' clan needed Shaolan, needed him to be the leader of the clan. And Shaolan she knew would never do anything that himself considered as it was selfishness, even for other's perceives was what they had their right to get.  
  
Forthwith she thought she knew what was she could do for him. It might be only one thing she could do for him now in Japan. In addition for achieving her plan, she needed someone to collaborate, and she knew who could be the best to help her.  
  
"That's it!" Fuutie exclaimed softly like she was whispering. "If that person collaborate, all will succeed."  
  
She quickly lied down to flop, sneak herself under blanket, as she planned for the new project for her brother.  
  
-------------E N D--------------- TO BE CONTINUED............................................................ ------------------------------------ 


	3. Part Three Going On

------------------------------------------------------ Part Three: Going On ------------------------------------------------------  
  
Times went by since the day Tomoyo had found out that Shaolan was going to leave Tomoeda going back to Hong Kong. Today was the last day before the summer vacation all students were waiting for would begin.  
  
Every students of were in their classroom. Sakura, Tomoyo, Rika, Naoko and Shiharu were talking as usual. Shaolan was talking and smiled with Yamazaki and a group of boy, as few days had passed, his absolutely extraordinary behavior was become familiar to everyone. But now he was under Tomoyo's eye focus. It did not appear like he did not aware that Tomoyo was keeping her eyes on him, but he did not paid his attention so much, as he knew the reason why the pair of deep chromatic purple eyes were keeping on him.  
  
As the school bell was reverberated through out of Tomoeda Elementary School, implied that the last school day in this semester began, Tarada- sensei entered the classroom.  
  
"Everyone take your seat," Tarada-sensei told his students.  
  
"Yes," students replied cheerfully.  
  
Tarada-sensei walked to the table, that located on the front center of classroom, put his teacher file on the table, when he saw his all students took their seat he began in little oppressiveness. "Today we all have a sad news."  
  
"En?" What was the sad news their teacher would tell them? Would their dear beginning date of summer vacation was deferred? Class suspected.  
  
"Li Shaolan will go back to Hong Kong," Tarada-sensei said.  
  
"ENNN???" Students turned to look at Shaolan, who smiled woefully back to them all. Entire students in class were surprised to this news especially Sakura who appeared shocker than everyone.  
  
"Li...kun," Sakura's eye widened and staring at him in shocked reflection.  
  
Shaolan turned to the girl he loved, and tried his best to look at her face, forcing his lip to make up an upward curve, however for Tomoyo, she perceived that smile was his saddest facial expression she had ever seen.  
  
Rest of the day all attentions of entire students of the classroom was on him, they all came to his seat and either asked or spoke to him, when did you go back and what day? Write back to us, we all would miss you a lot. All they spoke out was the woebegone speeches depicted their grieving of the leaving of their dear friend.  
  
Shaolan only smiled wryly to them and ingested words of farewell, which were streamed from them; he, likewise, would miss them a lot. Even he was busing to take all questions of students was shooting him but his mind was keeping on Sakura. The girl who was his beloved, even so he was leaving her.....  
  
Sakura, on the other hand, did not join with others students. She solitary sat on her seat, twisting her upper body to stared sadly at the boy behind her and listened to farewell words others said to the cinnamon hair boy, who was going back home. Meanwhile Shaolan could not looked back to her sad emerald eyes, he could not stand to look at the girl's unhappy eyes, which was staring at him.  
  
After the last school day of this semester ended, as usual all kids walked out of school, separated from each another, and made their way home.  
  
Tomoyo had just went home early today for some reasons, leaving Sakura and Shaolan who were standing outside their classroom. They both were in uncomfortably silence, even they wanted to talk to each other, but they did not know where to begin.  
  
Sakura was the first one who broke away the silence.  
  
"L-Li-kun...u-um...it-it's so sudden......." the words broke off, her dolorous eyes were facing directly at him a second before looked down on the floor.  
  
"U-Um," he soft sadly replied her, gazing away slightly down  
  
"Well, I...I want to thank you, you help me a lot. Thank you."  
  
Shaolan gasped disheartened. Thank you, why now these two words were hurt so much. "Um...You're...not need to thanks me, I haven't done anything."  
  
"N-No it's you--"  
  
"You do things all by yourself, so you're not need to thank me," Shaolan used his clam voice, cut off.  
  
The boy and the girl were in silence again. To Sakura, she felt so doleful, her dear persons departed from her one after another, first Mizuki- sensei and Eriol. In these times Shaolan was leaving her.  
  
When she thought that her friend was leaving her again, she felt like warmth of tear found on her eyes. No! She should not cry, crying would only make Shaolan worried about her. Sakura was trying to restrain her tear, looking slightly down not to let any droplet of tear come out from her deep green eyes. She could not be able to look at his face, if she did, she might cry. Shaolan as well could not looked at Sakura's face as he was gazing lightly away.  
  
He's leaving, it's too bad, she thought.  
  
[Sakura-san...] Instantaneously Eriol's voice scudded into the girl's memory of the day Tarada-sensei had informed about Eriol was going back to England. [When you heard I was going back to England, what did you think?] He had asked gently, mixed with shadow of worry.  
  
Sakura had been confused by his question, [I think it is too bad]  
  
[I have a question to ask.] Eriol asked, [When the same thing occurs again...when a person who is close to you end up by going some place far away, please think hard about how you feel then, and how it different with how you feel about my going.] The part of Clow's reincarnation had continued generously, [Because if you do that, you'll know who is the person you truly think of as your 'number one'.]  
  
At that time the girl seemed not to understand what Eriol meant. What did he mean, she had asked, but by now....  
  
A person who is close to me ends up by going some place far away, or the person Eriol-kun meant is... Sakura's deep green aquamarine eyes widened. She turned her face up to look at the boy who was standing in front of her. Shaolan's face flashed rosy color, and still gazing slightly away from her.  
  
[Please thinks hard how you feel, how it different with how you feel about my going,] Eriol's voice echoed in her head  
  
Sakura's brain went blank by the memory as confusing crawled over her. She was in silence as Shaolan did so.  
  
To Shaolan, he did not know what to talk to her, nowadays he could not confess his feeling to her even he wanted to. He knew if he confessed his feeling to the girl, it would cause her sad. He could not even say two simple words, 'good bye'. He, by now, only wanted to spend his time he had to be by her side as long as possible did not want to leave this girl who was his dearest.  
  
Both of them were in silence still, they did not know how much time went by. They were in silence, while confusing of the girl and sadness of the boy were submerging in the place, until a masculine voice interrupted their time.  
  
"Hey there," it was Tarada-sensei, he waved his right hand over his head, catching their attention. "Why are you two still here? It's 5:30 p.m. now, it's time to go home."  
  
The kids turned to their teacher, "Yes, sensei," both replied.  
  
When they about to leave Tarada-sensei called Shaolan to stop a second, "Li- kun," the elder walked close to the boy and stopped in front of Shaolan. The man put his one hand on the boy's shoulder; "You are my dear student, Li-kun, pay attention in class as you usual do when you go back to Hong Kong. I am going to miss you so much,"  
  
Shaolan only nodded for replying of the teacher's benignant compassion statement.  
  
'Go back to Hong Kong,' when Sakura heard words she felt her body trembled, her vim was draining away from her body, and she did not know why.  
  
Sakura and Shaolan left their school after the teacher finished his mournful words to his leaving student. They walked together quietly to the school gate. When they have to separate from each other to their way home, they both paused hesitatingly to leave each other, and hesitated to say a word that was so heard to say this word now.  
  
Finally Shaolan brought up his left hand to grasp a strap of his school bag which draped over on his left shoulder, and took all of his strength he had. He looked at her face still gravely and pains that to be hidden.  
  
"Sakura..." he called her sedately, gripping the strap tightened with determination. When Sakura looked at him directly by his called, he smiled lightly and delicately at her, "Good bye."  
  
The words caused Sakura's eye widened.  
  
Shaolan turned back and trotted to his way home. With his back was facing her and his face hid from the girl, the pain of leaving the person he loved was clearly obvious now, ...Goodbye ...Sakura, he thought and disappeared on the street way in the orange color of the sundown.  
  
To Sakura she was stunned by his last words. 'Good bye,' he said the words firmly as if this were farewell word from he to her, and the words made her gasped, her heart was beating fast, she felt her eyes were warmed, warmed by un-shed tear was forming on her both eyes. Perplexing Sakura skated tardily to her way home, Li....kun, she though as Eriol's speech was static echoing in her head. .  
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
At Daidouji resident, Tomoyo came back home earlier than she ordinary times. When she had arrived home, a servant informed her that her guest was already waiting for her since half-hour ago. It was the time before school day ended.  
  
Tomoyo had got a phone call from her visitor yesterday, and they made appointment to meet each other today after the end of the school day. This was the reason why Tomoyo hurried to go back home ahead of time today  
  
With great haste, Tomoyo moved to the room her guest was waiting for her, and opened the door to meet her guest in the room. As if the visitor could sense the girl's arrival, she placed a magazine she had read before Tomoyo came on the table in front of her.  
  
"Hello Tomoyo-chan," cheerful sharp but smoothly voice greeted Tomoyo at the first steps of the girl came in the room.  
  
The visitor smiled at Tomoyo smiled at her guest, "Good afternoon Fuutie- san," and turned to the round pink fish that looked at Tomoyo by greeting eyes "Good afternoon, Shiki-chan."  
  
It was Fuutie, who had called Tomoyo yesterday.  
  
To Tomoyo she had been little surprised when she had got the Phone call, how Fuutie could get the telephone number of her home, and furthermore posterior of making their appointment the young woman had said that she would come to her home by herself, and had said 'don't worry'.  
  
Nevertheless there was not the real matter to worry about, Tomoyo cogitated, after arriving to Japan only an hour, the young lady could find the way to Tomoeda Elementary School by using Shiki-chan searched for her little brother's track. Nothing to be suspected if the young lady could find her home without lost the direction.  
  
Tomoyo gave Fuutie a greeting bow as the young lady and her magic creature, Shiki-chan, did so, and then the girl called a servant to give some orders of beverage and cakes for serving her guest some more.  
  
After receiving order, the servant nodded in acceptation of the order and left the two girls in the room.  
  
When the servant had walked out Shiki-chan drifted around Tomoyo; as if it was happy to meet a person it knew or its friend again, caused Tomoyo giggled.  
  
"Fuutie-san, does Shiki-chan so friendly like this to everyone?" Smiling Tomoyo asked, taking hold Shiki-chan's on the right fin and led the magic creature to sofa. The long black hair girl sat down on the other side of the sofa Fuutie was sitting.  
  
"No," Fuutie said as a matter of fact, "Only with persons who have a 'good spirit'," she smiled at Tomoyo whose lap Shiki-chan was curling up, smiling back at her.  
  
Before the two ladies could go more to their conversation, they heard a sound of knocking the door of the servant who came into the room for serving the cool beverage and cakes to Fuutie and Tomoyo, and went out.  
  
Stroking Shiki-chan on her lap, Tomoyo was sitting quietly. For certain the girl wanted to talk with the woman in front of her about Shaolan, as she knew that the boy was afflicting because of leaving his beloved. However this was their family's story, as an outsider how could she bring herself to dissent in taking the boy home? Tomoyo thought.  
  
Depression of silence was tiding in the room. Calmly, Fuutie lifted her glass to sip her cool beverage, then smiled at Tomoyo to decrease the uncomfortable silence.  
  
"Tomoyo-chan, you're already know that Shaolan's going back to Hong Kong, right?" Fuutie said first.  
  
The girl was little surprised by the beginning of their conversion, as if the young woman could read Tomoyo's mind, but lastly she replied to the question, "Yes, I already know." Shaolan might tell his eldest sister, she thought.  
  
Fuutie smiled still at her and continued, "And you want to talk to me about Shaolan's going back to Hong Kong, right?"  
  
The last statement evoked Tomoyo's deep violet eyes widened, "How could you know?"  
  
Fuutie shrugged softly, "Girl intuition," she said.  
  
Tomoyo marveled how could young woman knew what was in her thought, even Fuutie spoke like not-thing-special-just-girl-intuition-everyone-could-know but what the young woman did was on the far side of not-thing-special-just- girl-intuition. Fuutie had called to her first yesterday, then went to her home by herself, and hurtled straightaway to the point the girl wanted to talk with her as if the young woman could read her thinking thoroughly. Even so it was not much dubiousness since the young woman was 'Li' and Tomoyo herself wont to unordinary things she had faced before.  
  
"Yes Fuutie-san, that is what I want to talk about" Tomoyo said.  
  
"Me too that want to talk to you about this." Fuutie smiled, placed the glass she held on the table, "He's falling in love with Sakura-chan and you know this, right?"  
  
Again that the young woman's speech made Tomoyo surprised but nodded.  
  
"I think I don't have to worry about my little brother would become a gay," Fuutie gave a joke drove a little smile was decorated on the girl's face. "He's felling in love with Sakura-chan but he still haven't told her he love her and Sakura-chan seem not to know his feeling too" said young woman.  
  
"You know all?" The girl asked.  
  
"You know, Tomoyo-chan, my young brother's not a good liar, all things he thinks especially about Sakura-chan are written clear visible on his face." Fuutie said half playfully. She did not tell the girl that some of the things she knew were the result of her 'ransacking for the selective information', and then she looked at Tomoyo's light concordant smile and followed with a big sigh. "But anyway he has to go back home now, it has a high possible that he'll not let Sakura-chan know his feeling."  
  
Tomoyo nodded and said, "He have already told me to keep this in secret because he doesn't want to hurt Sakura-chan." Girl paused, reluctant to say next sentence, "Fuutie-san, do you...really have to take him home?" At last she could come up herself to ask, Tomoyo thought while waiting for Fuutie's answer with patience.  
  
Instead Fuutie shook her head, disagreed, "No I have not, it is himself that must go home, and he knows he must. He knows all the time 'Li' clan depends on him, and he knows what he has to do. Even he has to sacrifice his own happiness." The young lady said.  
  
'Sacrifice,' the word made Tomoyo gasped, this was not fair, only a ten years old boy likes Shaolan had to sacrifice himself for his clan, Tomoyo thought.  
  
Seeing Tomoyo's eye became darken, Fuutie's face was abrupt saddened and her eyes were pleading the girl. "Tomoyo-chan, this is his duty for our clan and he is willing to take it all by his own will. I hope you would understand his situation."  
  
"I do, Fuutie-san," Tomoyo replied gently.  
  
"And sad thing is I could not help him either, not matter how many times I thought about it." The elder's voice went distressing even more.  
  
"Fuutie-san..." Tomoyo tried to find some word to comfort the young woman.  
  
"So I think that during he's still in Japan, I want to make this time to be his best memory for him before he'd leave and I need your help. That is what I want to talk to you." The young woman leaned little forward to the girl, said earnestly "Tomoyo-chan, would you please help me?" She asked.  
  
Fuutie needed her help? Tomoyo wondered, "My pleasure, Fuutie-san, but how could I help you?"  
  
"You are a very good girl, Tomoyo-chan," Fuutie smiled satisfactory, bent down to whisper to Tomoyo to her ear as the girl listened to her plan intensely. "I plan to..."  
  
Two ladies whisper a second before Tomoyo exclaimed in exciting, "It would be a lovely scene! I would love to help, Fuutie-san." Then she paused a second before continued, " Beside tomorrow is a very good day too."  
  
"Good day?" Fuutie suspected in the girl statement.  
  
"Yes, very good day," Tomoyo repeated and smiled to the young woman. "Wait for me a minute and I would settle all for you."  
  
Tomoyo put Shiki-chan on sofa. She jogged excitingly from the room then came back a minute later with her Computer Notebook, and then sat on sofa she had sat before. Started to perform some computer works  
  
Curiously Fuutie and Shiki-chan moved to sit beside Tomoyo while the girl was dexterous performing some works to her computer. Poor things the language that showed in computer screen was wholly Japanese language, she could not interpret all excepted some Kanji words but only few words could not make her understand what Tomoyo was performing anymore.  
  
Lastly looked like Tomoyo had made some purchasing order, she went out to a fax machine in her home as it was sending some papers of the purchasing order to the girl. Minutes passed by Tomoyo returned to the room that Fuutie and Shiki-chan were inside.  
  
"Here Fuutie-san," the smiling girl handed Fuutie the papers which were faxed to her as she had made the purchasing order minute ago. "The date is tomorrow," she said  
  
The young woman took papers from the girl. Nevertheless the papers totally contained with Japanese alphabets; predictable, Fuutie had come to Japan days ago, how could she understand all alphabets were written in Japanese Language?  
  
Realized that reading Japanese language was a big problem for Fuutie, then Tomoyo sat down next to the young woman and begin to explain all things in the papers.  
  
When understood all matters in the papers Fuutie promulgated, "Wow! How great you are, Tomoyo-chan!" Young woman turned to looked the girl and grinned, "You're right Tomoyo-chan, tomorrow is very good day"  
  
Tomoyo smiled and nodded in correspond.  
  
Fuutie rose one of her slim hand up to her face level, pointing to Tomoyo with frolicsome as if this was a sign. "And don't forget."  
  
"Video camera," two ladies said and giggled together as they plan began.  
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
"I'm home," said Sakura dully when she reached her home. She opened the door and entered.  
  
"Oi Kaijou, you came home very late today," Touya greeted his little sister drowsy, he was in the kitchen as today was his turn to prepare dinner.  
  
"Um," Sakura replied inattentively  
  
Touya stuck his head out from the kitchen to look at his little sister. Why this time she did not contradict me to call her Kaijou like she ordinary would do? He wondered. Seeing his unenthusiastic Sakura walked completely absentmindedly upstairs aroused the big brother to worry about his little sister.  
  
What's up with her now? Touya thought apprehensively.  
  
At the Sakura's bedroom, Kero sat on the floor, and looking at pictures of several types of cake in a cooking book while day dreaming that he was eating all those appetizing super giant cakes. The day dreaming blinded him not to aware of the coming of his master and coming of a door panel attack.  
  
"Ack!" It was all Kero could talk after the door panel attacking. He groaned as the pain hit his forehead.  
  
Poor Kero-chan...  
  
"En?" Kero marveled, Why doesn't it hurt as much as it used to be? He doubted, rubbing his forehead and looked up to the person who was entering the room.  
  
It was Sakura  
  
"I'm home Kero-chan," the girl said with a dreary face.  
  
Kero saw Sakura gently closed the door without said anything. She slumped to her bed not as exuberance as she ever used to be. The girl only immersed her face on her own pillow.  
  
What's up with her? Kero thought the as similar as Touya's.  
  
Kero flew slowly near the girl and observed her. She merely buried her face on her pillow and clutched the pillowcase firmly as if she were crying but tried to keep the weeping noise from breaking through to be heard by others, at least by Kero.  
  
"Sakura," Kero called to her worriedly, concerning about the girl.  
  
The girl had no answer from his call. She buried her face on her pillow still, not paying her attention on him and her handgrip on the pillowcase tightened.  
  
"Oi, Sakura what happened?" Kero tried to comprehend the girl in concern and care for her.  
  
The girl only shook her head, "No, nothing," she muttered to the pillow, "Nothing."  
  
Kero did not ask or bother the girl any further but worry for her was still adhering on him, he knew she was sad. Though Sakura did not want to tell him, she might need some times to be alone right now, he thought to himself.  
  
"Sakura, I am going to Tomoyo house, and I would be back awhile later," Kero said  
  
The girl simply nodded but did not asked any question, why he would go to Tomoyo's house, but she murmured about thanking him. She genuinely wanted some times to be alone.  
  
Then Kero sent a worried look at the girl once before he winged away from the girl out of the window of the room, leaving the girl alone. The best place now for Kero was Tomoyo's house, which had a lot of delicious sweet things for him, and then he flew from Sakura's room to Tomoyo's house.  
  
To Sakura, she did not really needed times to think but her brain, rather, went blank as a voice was recalling in her head  
  
[Sakura-san... when a person who is close to you end up by going some place far away, please think hard about how you feel then, and how it different with how you feel about my going. Because if you do that, you'll know who is the person you truly think of as your 'number one',] was what Eriol's gentle voice had said to her before he left from Japan.  
  
Thinks heard how I feel and I would know who is the person I truly think of as my 'Number one.' Sakura repeated the speech of the boy.  
  
When Sakura brought it up, trying to think about the different between the leaving of Eriol and the leaving of Shaolan, she still thought that the leaving of her both friends were too bad awful bad.  
  
Shaolan who, at first, had appeared as her rival for Yukito and the Clow Card, but whatever happened he always protected her, and always helped her. From that time she had captured the Shadow card, the erase card till the final judgement, and all the incidents that Eriol had set. The boy always was by her side, protecting her, helping her and encouraging her when she was frightened or despondent.  
  
She remembered when she had confessed her feeling to Yukito, but Yukito already had the person that he loved most. She had not cried in front of others especially in front of Yukito, fearing that Yukito might be burdened by hurting her feeling. She had not cried in front of others not even Tomoyo or Kero but she had cried in front of Shaolan and had said all things she thought.  
  
She remembered when he had handed her his handkerchief and the warmness of the boy's shoulder when she had leaned and had cried on his shoulder, his hands that had embraced her to comfort her when she had sad were so sooth. The warmness of his hand and his shoulder helped her to ease her sadness--  
  
W-w-what am I thinking??? Sakura's thought was cut off, when she realized she thought about when Shaolan had embraced her.  
  
Sakura felt her face grew hot and she made a motion to her mirror that was located on the table beside of her bed to take a look at her face, then she realized that face grew flushed crimson. Thanks God Kero had left now, she thought.  
  
Withal the girl face converted to discolor again when she thought of Shaolan was leaving her. She felt her breath was ceased, and her chest was being tore away. Shaolan was leaving her, she thought; Shaolan was leaving her...  
  
Sakura could felt a droplet of tear ran down from her eye to her smooth cheek. She dropped herself to her bed and sank her face on her pillow again, as she could not stop her tears and the hurt that was inside her chest.  
  
[Thinks heard how you feel and you would know who is the person you truly think of as your 'Number one.'] The question Eriol had asked her was repeating again and again in her head  
  
Shaolan was leaving her. Shaolan was leaving her, she could not threw the thoughts away her head, while she tried to restrain not to let any sobbing sound out as much as she could by buried her face, which was wetted by her teardrops into the pillow.  
  
...I...I...  
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
At Shaolan's apartment, the boy was standing in front of his own room. He took a deep breath, trying to shake the melancholy on his face off. If his sister saw him like this, she would worry about him very much and he did not want his sister to worry about him. After the moment of simmering down, Shaolan opened the door with a stone-cold expression on his face.  
  
"I'm back," he said evenly.  
  
Silence...  
  
There was not any sharp voice of greet him from his sister the previous days before. Shaolan took off his shoes and entered. He looked around, searching for his eldest sister and her magic creature. He walked to his sister's bedroom and knocked the door  
  
Silence...  
  
Maybe she is sleeping, he thought, then he opened the door for confirmation of his thought.  
  
No one was there ...  
  
Then the boy wandered to the bathroom, which was his sister's favorite place. He knocked and called. "Fuutie-oneesan, are you in there?"  
  
Silence...  
  
Using his one hand, he pushed the door of the bathroom and it was not locked and no one was in there. After the boy had walked around for find his sister and her magic creature, he began to worry about the young lady. Where could she have gone? She had just arrived in Japan for a few days, even though she had Shiki to show the way to where she wanted to go, but Japan was still estranged to her.  
  
Finally Shaolan walked to Sofa in the main room to sit, but all sudden a phone ring called him up. Shaolan stood up and moved to pick up the telephone receiver.  
  
"Hello?" Shaolan began.  
  
"Hello Shaolan," the young woman's sharp voice came from the other side.  
  
"Fuutie-oneesan? Where're yo--"  
  
"I am still shopping with Shiki-chan and I might come home late. Don't worry anything about me, and I would go back and make dinner for you. Bye"  
  
"Wait--"  
  
Before Shaolan could finish a sentence, Fuutie had already hung up. The words 'Don't worry' and 'Make dinner' of her made him became more worry in some way, but at least he knew she was safe. He sighed and hung up his telephone receiver. He hoped that his sister would not put any strange ingredients in the dinners like she had done, since after the day Shiki- chan had been boiled, and kept telling him that it was nourishing for his health, he must eat it all, and he had to eat it all. Even he absolutely did not want to eat the stuff..  
  
Again, Shaolan threw himself to the sofa to sit comfortably.  
  
He looked around his room. Almost all furniture and things, which were his, were bundled to ready to move out from this apartment and to leave from Japan, leaving Sakura. When he thought of these things, he would feel like his stomached was wringing, his head ached and there was a hurt inside his chest all the times. Even now he was feeling all that pains washed over his body.  
  
May be some rest would make the aches disappeared, although he knew only one ache that could not disappeared with only rest, the hurt in his heart.  
  
He walked to bathroom to take a bath. After he had finished, he walked out from the bathroom with a towel on his head, drying his hair, and he dressed his pale green pajamas. He headed to his bedroom to have some rest, he felt very tired in this week, really tired.  
  
To go back to Hong Kong, Shaolan was extremely busing; he had to do many things in order to prepare to go back home. Telling teacher that he would resign, and he need to manage many documents. Telling the caretaker of the apartment that the room he lived on would be returned, which the door bolt was already repaired. Nevertheless his mind was still with the girl that he loved.  
  
Shaolan entered his bedroom, which had some things that he had not packed them yet. Among of them were his sword, Sakura's handkerchief that she had aided him after she had captured the shadow card, and the yukata she had made for him.  
  
He lied on his bed in his bedroom and his both feet touched the floor, staring at the things until sleep quickly took the tired boy to fall asleep.  
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
"Thanks for letting me use your telephone, Tomoyo-chan," Fuutie said after she had hung up the telephone receiver. She smiled to the younger girl thankfully.  
  
"My pleasure, Fuutie-san," Tomoyo replied gently and smiled back.  
  
The truth was Fuutie did not go to shopping, though she was at Tomoyo's house all the time since before Tomoyo had arrived and they had just finished the proceeding of the plan minutes ago. The young woman looked at her wristwatch; it was 6:00 P.M., and it was already late, she still had a place to go to. It was the important place that she had to go today.  
  
"I have to go now, Tomoyo-chan," Fuutie said to the girl. She went to the sofa and bent down to pick a paper bag that had the videotapes and a photo album she had borrowed from Tomoyo days ago inside. She handed the paper bag to the girl. "Here Tomoyo-chan, these are the videotapes and photo album I borrowed from you."  
  
The girl shook her head as she pushed the paper bag in Fuutie's hand back to the young woman gently, "It's yours Fuutie-san, I said that I give it all to you. It is yours now."  
  
"En? If you give me your collection would not be in the full set,"  
  
Tomoyo gave the elder lady her bright smile. "I have many copies in my video theater, so don't worry about my collection."  
  
"Oh! Thank you very much Tomoyo-chan," Fuutie beamed cheerfully at the girl, who smiled back at her.  
  
Fuutie turned to call her magic creature, "Shiki-chan, it's time to go," but did not had any response from the magic creature, "Shiki-chan?" Fuutie called again but she still did not get any response or any sign of the magic creature.  
  
Fuutie and Tomoyo began to walk around the room to find the magic creature: under the table, the side of the sofa and every corner in the room, but Shiki-chan was not found.  
  
Once again, the worry crept to Fuutie. The situation like this had happened before; it was the day that Shiki-chan was boiled nearly to death.  
  
Suddenly Shiki-chan flew quickly from the big garden of Daidouji resident and passed from a window of the room, which was opened, to its master with excitement, and the magic creature also had something was lying on its round back.  
  
Fuutie turned to face her magic creature, which was drifting in front of her but slightly above Tomoyo now. The young lady was relieved from the worry, now her magic creature was safe, Fuutie asked, "Shiki-chan, where did you go?"  
  
Shiki-chan turned its back happily to the young lady, wanting to show her what it had found outside.  
  
"Um? Let me see, what's on your back," Fuutie said kindly. She took a good look to what was laid on the back of her magic creature. She found a yellow doll, which had two little wings on its back, was lying sprawly on the back of Shiki-chan. The yellow doll looked a little dirty, like something had trundled on it. Fuutie used her both hands to gather the doll up from Shiki-chan's back, "Wow! How cute! Is he your friend?" Fuutie asked the magic creature.  
  
Shiki-chan nodded jubilantly.  
  
To Tomoyo, she thought that the doll on Fuutie's hand looked like...  
  
Abruptly the yellow doll sat up on the young woman's hand, "Whose friend?! That balloon trundled on me!!" The doll yelled with anger, and then gasped when he realized that he was sitting on a stranger's hand, the young woman might be startled that a doll could talk.  
  
"Kero-chan??" Tomoyo surprised.  
  
"Kero-chan?" Fuutie looked at Tomoyo then Kero. She lifted Kero, which was using his full effort in pretending to be ordinary doll stuff, up by her both hands to the level of her face and stared at him nose to nose. "So you're the guardian Cerberus, right?" Fuutie said and smiled at Kero.  
  
The young woman speech made Kero jumped on to his feet with surprise and followed with his serious expression, "You know me? Who're you, lady, I can sense power from you." He asked tensely, frown between his eyebrows.  
  
Fuutie smiled sweetly still at him, "No need to be suspicious of me, I'm Li Fuutie, nice to meet you."  
  
"Li?" Kero repeated her last name in wonder, looking at the young woman.  
  
"She is Li-kun's eldest sister, and she already knows all of us " Tomoyo told confused Kero as she smiled at him.  
  
Fuutie put her one hand to dust gently some dirt from Kero's forehead with concern and said, "My Shiki-chan trundled on you, right?" She turned to glare at Shiki-chan and Shiki-chan itself seemed to be startled by her glare. She used her one hand beat Shiki-can on its forehead softly. Though her beat was not hard at all, but the beat was much enough to make the magic creature's droplet of tears fell from its big round eyes. With a sorry expression, Fuutie coiled her face back to Kero, "My Shiki-chan just excited to find another magic creature, you might be hurt a lot. As I'm Shiki-chan's master, I'm so sorry." The young woman kissed on his yellow forehead gently and smiled at him, causing him blushed. Later on she looked at the crying Shiki-chan, "Come here to apologize to Cerberus," the young woman commanded.  
  
Shiki-chan drifted slowly to Kero, which was standing on Fuutie's hand, and bowed to him guiltily.  
  
"Would you please forgive Shiki-chan?" Fuutie begged him for his forgiveness for her magic creature  
  
Kero was speechless, beholding the crying magic creature. He also felt guilty that he caused the magic creature to cry. Kero nodded, forgiving the magic creature.  
  
"And would you please be Shiki-chan's friend?" Fuutie asked him in gentle tone.  
  
Kero turned to gazed at Fuutie and then Shiki-chan, which was staring at him hopefully. Kero nodded.  
  
Immediately after Kero had finished his nod in agreement to be Shiki-chan's friend, the magic creature threw itself to him, caused them both fell to the floor. Shiki-chan tried to use its both fins to hug Kero as if it was so happy that it had a friend. Poor thing, the fins were too short, the fins could not even reached Shiki-chan's big round eyes. When Shiki-chan tried to hug Kero, it looked more like Shiki-chan were wrestling and trundling on Kero than trying to hug him.  
  
"Get off me!!!" Kero-chan yelled but Shiki-chan did not listen, the happy magic creature was still trying to hug him.  
  
Watching the two magic creatures were wrestling on the floor made the two ladies giggled. To Tomoyo, she was amazed Fuutie could manage the angry Kero very well, and moreover, without using any food to calm him down.  
  
Looking at the two magic creatures, Tomoyo asked "Kero-chan, why do you come here?"  
  
Being trundled on by Shiki-chan, Kero who was laying with his stomach on the floor and Shiki-chan on his back said "Sakura, she look sad and I think that she wanted some time to be alone, so I left her alone and went to you"  
  
"Sad? Sakura-chan sad, how?" Fuutie asked, she and Tomoyo became worry.  
  
"I don't know, she's like that after she came back from school."  
  
Worrying about Sakura, Tomoyo turned to Fuutie and said, "May be because today Tarada-sensei informed the our class that Li-kun's going to go back to Hong Kong"  
  
"That Li boy's going back to Hong Kong? What's going on?" Kero made a question.  
  
The two ladies had looked at each other before they decided to tell Kero what was really happening.  
  
A moment later, they all sat on the sofa in the room, Kero was eating a piece of cake and listened to Tomoyo and Fuutie, who now Shiki-chan was on her lap, told him about what was going on.  
  
Lastly, the mouthful of cake, Kero let a big sigh out and said, as if it was silly thing, "That Li clan always have silly thoughts. Poor that Li boy."  
  
"Kero-chan!" Tomoyo suddenly cut him off. The girl knew what was Fuutie thought about the matter of 'Li' clan and the young woman's little brother.  
  
"W-what what??" Startled Kero asked.  
  
Seeing Tomoyo turned to look at Fuutie worriedly, then he followed the girl's eyesight direction to look at the young woman. All Kero saw was Fuutie was sitting calmly, but sadness was on her face and her deep black eyes. Realizing that what he had said made the lady was saddened; he slapped his hand on his mouth, feeling himself was culpable.  
  
Shiki-chan stared at her and tried to put both of its short fins wrapped around her small waist, wanting to comfort her. 'Master please don't sad,' could be read on its round eyes.  
  
Stroking Shiki-chan forehead lovingly, she gave her lamenting smiled to the magic creature on her lap, Tomoyo and then Kero. "Cerberus's right...all," she said sadly which made Kero's felt more guilty of his thoughtless speech.  
  
Uncomfortableness and silence was extended in the room, lastly Kero broke the silence and said stammeringly, "Er...do you...what me to help you anything? Er...Li lady?"  
  
Fuutie looked at Kero her face was softened. "Call me Fuutie," she said and gave him a delicate smile, "Thank you a lot, Cerberus. I'd want your help too but it has to be after you finish your cake."  
  
"En? Why?" Kero was perplexed.  
  
"Well, I want you to go out to guide me, and I don't think that you'll want to startle others on the street if you hold the cake and eat it outside. Besides you also want to finish this cake, right?"  
  
Kero looked down on the delicious cake he was eating. The young lady was right. He would has to pretend to be ordinary doll stuff when he went outside, furthermore, he could not bring the cake outside with him and ate it while he was leading her the way on street.  
  
Kero was Kero. He would not let go of eating any delicious food, especially if it was confection. He began to eat his cake quickly, forgetting to ask her where she wanted to go.  
  
While Kero was eating his cake, Tomoyo turned to Fuutie and asked her in whisper as the girl did not want to disturb Kero's happy times. "Fuutie- san, you could use Shiki-chan to find the way but why do you still want Kero-chan to guide you?"  
  
"It's social relationship," Fuutie whispered back and smiled to the girl, "And Shiki-chan is happy that has a new friend, I can bet, Shiki-chan will not leave Cerberus so easy if I don't go with him."  
  
Tomoyo turned her face to look at the magic creature. She saw that Shiki- chan, which had drifted from Fuutie's lap, now cuddled near Kero.  
  
"I see," Tomoyo smiled to the lovely scene of the two magic creatures were snuggling to each other, although the one of them seemed more like annoyed.  
  
Beholding Kero, who Shiki-chan cuddled by his side, was trying to speed up in eating his cake. Fuutie smiled beautifully at him. "You're really cute, Cerberus," she said as a matter of fact.  
  
Again, the young woman made Kero surprised and choked the big piece of cake that was in his mouth. His face turned from yellow to green and then purples, as he could not breathe, because a big piece of cake he was eating was lodged in his throat.  
  
The change of color on Kero's face made the two ladies and one magic creature startled. They ran around to find some water.  
  
Tomoyo grasped a glass of water and handed to Kero, "Kero-chan, here, drink water!"  
  
Kero quickly dunked his head in to the glass, which Tomoyo had handed to him, and took a big swallow of water for clearing his throat, which was filled with a big piece of cake. A second later he emerged his soaking head from the glass of water, gasping for oxygen. "You almost killed me!"  
  
Holding a vase as if ready to throw the water inside the vase to Kero for giving him a rush of water, Fuutie said, "Just because I said you're really cute?" She put the vase on its place, could not help but giggled when she saw his soaking face.  
  
"What are you laughing about?!" Kero said out loud with annoy.  
  
"Oh! Nothing nothing, I am sorry if my word made you choke, but you look really cute." Fuutie bent down to Kero with a bright smile, "But your true form is really smart too, even I only have the chance to see your true form from Tomoyo-chan's videotapes," she said half flattery.  
  
Some times flattery could help in many situations, and now too. Kero's anger had been vanished and to be replaced by his pride and ego. He jumped on his feet, both of his hands on his hip and smirked with full level of confidence in his physical appearance.  
  
"Of cause! My true form is smart, even this form is cute too," Kero said proudly with Tomoyo, Fuutie, Shiki-chan were cheering behind him. The good mood Kero twisted his body to Fuutie and asked her eagerly, "And where do you want me to guide you the way?"  
  
Fuutie smiled attractively at him, her flattery gave her little more effective result than she expected. What Shaolan wrote in his diary is right after all, she thought and little wondered what the situation, that she was going to face, would be if what Shaolan had written in his diary was completely accurate.  
  
She bent down to Kero, and her pretty smile was on her face. "I want you to guide me to Sakura-chan's home," she said gently.  
  
"Ennnnnn?????" Was all Kero could response.  
  
-------------E N D---------------  
  
To Be Continue Next 


	4. Part Four Fuutie Runs The Plan

------------------------------------------------------ Part Four: Fuutie Runs The Plan ------------------------------------------------------  
  
This day was another day the eldest Kinomoto had to come back home in late evening. As the previous days before, Fujitaka had to perform the historic project that was keeping him really busied.  
  
Kinomoto Touya was in the kitchen of his home. He was perplexed and anxious about his little sister. She had been acting unusual since she had come back form school, and he could see she was sad. Something had happened to her.  
  
Sakura was a cheerful girl. Even though some time she was sad, but she would not appear herself as she was sad. She tried to be strong all the times since she did not want anyone to worry about her. She never let any darkness covered her mind. But this was the first time he could see the sadness was showed on her face and hurts from her heart evidently.  
  
What had happened to his little sister? He wanted to know.  
  
Since Kaho, the Clow Reed person and Akizuki had left Tomoeda, the entire intricate event, which had entwined his little sister into it, seemed to be ended. Yes, he did aware all of the strange things, but he did not speak it out either. Sakura also did not tell him or his father because she did not want them to worry about her, so he did not say anything.  
  
However Sakura appeared to know he knew of all the things she had tried to keep it in secret. It was since the time he had gave his own power to Yue, who was Yuki another form, for saving both of them from disappearing, if they both had not enough power to maintain themselves. At any rate, it was not matter when the things were ended, and his little sister was safe now.  
  
But why she looked terrible sad? Only one reason he could figure out was...  
  
"That brat," Touya murmured, frowning.  
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
It was the way to Kinomoto resident. Fuutie was walking on the street with Shiki-chan was drifting by her upside and Kero was hiding in Fuutie's handbag. He emerged his own head from the opening zip fastener of the handbag, guiding her the way to Kinomoto resident with little hesitate.  
  
"Why do you want to go there?" Kero asked the young lady.  
  
"I want to visit Sakura-chan, and from what you said, I worry about her too," Fuutie replied.  
  
Kero looked at her with uncertain. "That home," he pointed to the Kinomoto resident.  
  
"Thank you very much, Cerberus," Fuutie said, smiling at him, and then stopped before she reached to the gate of the home. "Cerberus, would you take care of Shiki-chan until I'll come back please?" Fuutie asked sweetly.  
  
Confused Kero looked at Fuutie then nodded hesitatingly, accepting the request. The young woman wanted to talk with Sakura, and he should not pry them, moreover he also could not enter the Kinomoto resident with the young woman because Sakura was not home alone, Touya was inside too. Although the second Kinomoto knew the truth what exactly he was, but he still could not bring himself to face Touya face to face. It was awkward to him. Maybe the roof would be a good place in waiting for the young woman, he thought.  
  
"Come on, this way," Kero said to Shiki-chan and flew up to the roof of the Kinomoto resident.  
  
Fuutie gave Kero an appreciated smile, "Thank you, Cerberus," and then she looked back at Shiki-chan, she said, "Shiki-chan, be a good child and wait for me with Cerberus, okay?"  
  
Shiki-chan nodded then followed Kero to the roof.  
  
After the two magic creatures had gone Fuutie lifted her right hand up and pressed the doorbell of the Kinomoto resident. She took a deep breath as the sound of the doorbell rang through the home, which provoked the person in the resident to open the door to see who visited them, and the person who opened the door was the second Kinomoto, Touya.  
  
Touya opened the door to see who visited them, then he found an unknown beautiful young woman was standing in front of his home and looked straight at him.  
  
"Good evening," Fuutie sent her best esthetic smile at Touya and bowed. Oh, This is Sakura-chan's big brother and always has glaring fight with Shaolan, she marked in her mind.  
  
Confused who was this young woman; Touya slowly bowed at Fuutie. "Good evening," he greeted her back. Is she a salesperson? He thought.  
  
A delicate smile was on Fuutie's face still. "I'm Sakura-chan's friend. Can I meet Sakura-chan, please?"  
  
Sakura's visitor? Touya concluded.  
  
The second Kinomoto nodded with politeness and invited the young woman into the home. Fuutie thanked him. He gestured Fuutie to sit in the Sofa of the main room, and she bowed her head to thank him again. Touya walked to upstairs to call his little sister. Even his little sister was having something in her mind, and he was sure that the thing caused her sad, but this young woman was his sister's guest. Perhaps some chitchat would help his sister, but why this young woman looked similar in someway? Touya made a question in his mind.  
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
In the main room of Kinomoto resident, Fuutie was sitting alone, waiting for Sakura. She looked around the place, making her little investigation.  
  
At last I could sit inside Sakura-chan's home without having any unnecessary confrontation with Sakura-chan's big brother, she thought.  
  
Fuutie knew Touya form Shaolan's diary. It staged that the second Kinomoto did not like her little brother. If the second Kinomoto knew she was the big sister of the boy, he might not allow her to meet his little sister. For avoiding the problem, she decided not to refer her name but chose to refer herself as Sakura's friend.  
  
Fuutie let out a sigh. Things went more complicate than she had expected, since she had come to Japan. First, Shaolan's feeling toward Sakura, which Fuutie was strongly certain, her little brother loved the girl...very much.  
  
And now, from what Cerberus had informed her, Sakura was sad.  
  
Why?  
  
The reaction of Sakura Fuutie knew from Shaolan's diary was different from what she knew from Cerberus. Tomoyo had said it might believably because of Sakura had known that Shaolan was leaving Japan. It was mean Sakura was sad because of a friend was leaving her, or because of it was Shaolan, who was leaving her? Would Sakura have the same feeling toward her little brother?  
  
For Shaolan, Fuutie knew her little brother well enough to tell right away that her little brother was falling in love. However for Sakura, Fuutie was not sure, but she wanted to know and that was why she had to come to this home for looking precisely what was the girl's reaction. If Sakura had the same feeling toward Shaolan....  
  
Fuutie paused. Her face became sad with the thought. Her little brother had to go back to Hong Kong and left Sakura. And...if Sakura also loved Shaolan... while he still had to be departed from her...  
  
I wish, Shaolan. I truly wish... you could have any happiness as an ordinary person, without 'Li' clan is on your back.   
  
But it was true. The greatest clan in Hong Kong named 'Li' was on the back of a little boy.  
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
In front of Sakura's room, Touya rising his right hand to knock the closed door. "Oi Sakura," he called his little sister.  
  
The knocking sound waked Sakura. She fond herself had fell asleep, her cheeks were damped and her tear wet her pillowcase. Sakura rapidly wiped the wetness off her face, stood up then walked to the door and opened the door to face her big brother was standing in front of the door. "Yes?" Sakura answered him.  
  
Seeing his little sister, Touya knew she had cried, which induced him more worried about her. But he did not ask her why she had cried, since she did not want to tell him. He just ruffled her hair, comforting Sakura. "You have a guest, Sakura," he said.  
  
"A guest?" Disheveled hair Sakura looked at the big brother with puzzlement.  
  
"She's waiting downstairs."  
  
Confusing who was her guest, Sakura walked to downstairs. The girl's eye widened when she saw who was her guest, "Fuutie-san!"  
  
"Hello Sakura-chan," Fuutie looked up and sent her usual glorious smile to the girl.  
  
"Why-Why?" Surprised Sakura asked, walking to the young women.  
  
"Why I came here?" Fuutie finished the question for Sakura, who nodded numbly. The young women smiled, "I just want to--" Fuutie's sentence was cut off when she saw the redness on the girl's eye. Then she put her right hand to touch the girl's cheek softly "Are you all right, Sakura-chan?" Fuutie asked with concern as if Sakura was her little sister.  
  
The tone of voice Fuutie used, the expression on Fuutie's face, those were the same expression the young woman used with Shaolan. It was soothing and noble. Feeling the emotion was touched; some droplets of tear fell down from Sakura's eyes uncontrollable.  
  
Fuutie pulsed in surprise, looking at Sakura, who was standing in front of her, was sobbing. Then the young woman slowly embraced Sakura, using one hand fondled Sakura's hair gently and let Sakura cried in her arms.  
  
After some minutes past, the two ladies were standing in the garden of Kinomoto residence, taking some cool night breezes. Touya was inside the home, continuing preparing the dinner.  
  
"Do you feel better?" Fuutie knelt down in front of Sakura and used her handkerchief wiped tears from Sakura's face.  
  
Sakura nodded meekly. "S-Sorry Fuutie-san, I startled you," Sakura said with guilty in her voice.  
  
Fuutie smiled to the girl. "Never mind it," she said, looking at Sakura with concern, "Care to talk?"  
  
Sakura looked at Fuutie, then down to the floor, musing. That was it, why she had cried, Sakura thought. All she knew was whenever she thought of the Chinese boy was leaving, her heart was squeezed, and it hurt... But still she did not understand the feeling she had now anymore.  
  
Seeing the desperate confusion depicted on the face of the girl, Fuutie decided to change the topic. "Ah, I haven't told you why I came. Do you have any appointment tomorrow?" Fuutie asked.  
  
"N-No, Fuutie-san," Sakura looked at Fuutie, shaking her head.  
  
"Good then tomorrow Tomoyo-chan, Shaolan and me will go to the Tomoeda amusement park. If you don't mind, I wish you to go with us too," Fuutie said.  
  
Hearing the word 'Shaolan', Sakura felt her heart ached again. It took a minute for Sakura to nodded slowly with hesitancy. "Y-Yes, Fuutie-san, I'll go."  
  
Fuutie smiled brightly to Sakura. "I'm glad. So see you at 10 A.M. tomorrow at the front gate of Tomoeda amusement park, okay?" She dug in to her handbag and picked out a ticket then handed it to the girl. It was the entrance ticket of the amusement park Tomoyo had purchased in advance by using the fax machine as it was the part of Fuutie's plan. "Here is your ticket, Sakura-chan," Fuutie said.  
  
"Thank you, Fuutie-san," Sakura took the ticket from Fuutie.  
  
Fuutie smiled at Sakura and said, "It's late this much. I have to go now, Sakura-chan." After Fuutie gathered her handbag and the paper bag that had the videotapes and a photo album Tomoyo gave her, she said good bye to Touya and then walked out to the gate of Kinomoto resident with Sakura. "Shiki-chan," Fuutie called her magic creature.  
  
Abruptly Shiki-chan, to Sakura's surprise, with Kero flew from the roof to the two ladies. Seeing Sakura was standing with Fuutie, Shiki-chan drifted and whirled around Sakura, happy to see the girl, which made Sakura giggled.  
  
"Shiki-chan's happy to meet you, Sakura-chan," Fuutie translated then turned to Kero. "Thank you very much, Cerberus, for taking care of Shiki- chan."  
  
"I happy to meet Shiki-chan too," Sakura said to Shiki-chan and then to Kero, "You all are already knew each other?"  
  
"We met at Tomoyo's house," Kero, who appeared like just had finished some wrestling matches with Shiki-chan, said wearily.  
  
"Yep, I went to return the video tapes I borrowed to Tomoyo-chan and we met there," Fuutie supplied and then turned to Shiki-chan and said, "It's time to go, Shiki-chan, say goodbye to Sakura-chan and Cerberus."  
  
Shiki-chan's eyes widened in shock. Instead of complying to what Fuutie said as usual, Shiki-chan darted to Kero and tried to huh him tight. Shiki- chan did not want to be separated from Kero, who was the first friend in Shiki-chan's life. However with Shiki-chan's short fin made the picture seemed rather alike Shiki-chan was bumping Kero. Both of the magic creatures fell hard to the floor. Kero yelped when the pink round fish began to trundle on him.  
  
"Shiki-chan!" Fuutie forbade, trying to pull Shiki-chan apart from Kero, but Shiki-chan resisted.  
  
Seeing the scene, Sakura choked off some giggles. The scene both magic creatures were making was cute-and funny.  
  
"What's so funny?!" Kero, who was lying on the floor, turned to Sakura, saying with anger.  
  
"Ah, sorry," Sakura said, trying her best not to laugh.  
  
Struggling to pull her magic creature from Kero for a moment, at last Fuutie patted the fish and said, "It's okay, Shiki-chan. You still can meet Cerberus next days."  
  
Shiki-chan turned its round face to Fuutie. She nodded to reassure her word. At last Shiki-chan drifted from Kero to the young woman, as Fuutie gave her magic creature a small smile and patted its forehead lightly. They bowed and said sayonara to Sakura and Kero.  
  
After Fuutie and Shiki-chan left the Kinomoto resident, Sakura turned to Kero. "I think, Shiki-chan like you a lot, Kero-chan," Sakura pointed out as the matter of fact she had seen.  
  
Kero glared at Sakura angrily. To Kero, being trundled by the round fish was not fun and being laughed was even more not fun. Nonetheless he did not like to see the girl sad, and it was much better if she would laugh at him than the girl was sad. He was glad the girl could laugh now.  
  
"Oi Sakura, dinner is ready," Touya called from inside the home.  
  
"Yes, coming," Sakura replied.  
  
"Hey Sakura, don't forget to keep my portion," Kero could not help to remind the girl to keep his portion of food, and then he flew up to Sakura's room, entering the girl's room by using the window of the room.  
  
Sakura face-fault. She turned and walked into her home. Kero was always gluttonous of food, she thought.  
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
The dinnertime of the Kinomotos was unusual quiet, without the cheerful voice from the youngest Kinomoto or any fighting sound of the sibling. The scene of Kero being trundled by Shiki-chan had lifted Sakura from her unreasoning out upset but not all. Sakura barely said things while Touya chose not to ask and kept his quiet.  
  
"Thanks for dinner, it's delicious," Sakura said when she finished her meal. She gathered her dished and took them to the sink in the kitchen, intending to wash them.  
  
"Put your dishes there. I'll clean them."  
  
"Ho-e?" Sakura looked at her big brother.  
  
"And your fruit jelly is in refrigerator." Touya said without looking at Sakura, eating his dinner.  
  
"Thanks Onii-chan. I'll eat it in my room," Sakura picked her fruit jelly from the refrigerator and walked to her room.  
  
The big brother stared after his little sister. Once the girl went to upstairs, he sighed; he hated to see his little sister upset, and it made him to worry about her very much.  
  
Finishing his dinner, Touya got up, collecting his dishes to the sink in the kitchen, and began to clean them.  
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
In Sakura's bedroom, the guardian Cerberus was lying flat on the girl's bed, exhausting from being trundled by the fish-like magic creature.  
  
Once he was alone in the girl's bedroom, Kero began to mull. When he had been requested from the young lady to guide her the way to Kinomoto resident, no one but only him to be surprised by the request. Kero doubted did Tomoyo already know the young lady wanted to go there and what was her purpose. It looked like the girl knew as well. At least, if he could not trust the young lady but he could trust Tomoyo, the girl would never harm Sakura.  
  
The young lady herself, though he could sense power from her, she had no any sign of dangerous. She had told him what was the reason she was in Japan--for taking the Li boy back home and doing some business for the 'Li' clan, which the business of the clan was nothing for him to concern. Her openness of her purpose made Kero more comfortable.  
  
Furthermore when he had informed from Tomoyo and the young woman that the Li boy became infatuated with Sakura, it surprised him. He had never recognized any signals that the Li boy loved Sakura before. Withal the Li boy was going to leaving Sakura, departing from the one who the Li boy loved.  
  
He could remember definitely erstwhile his previous master, Clow Reed, had died, how sorrow it was, how it had affected to Yue, to him. He knew quite clear, departing from the person who was beloved, how it felt, how it saddened. And for this time, the Li boy was facing the situation like he had faced. He pitied the Li boy, he admitted. It leaded him to his conclusion, he decided if it had something he could help the boy, and it was not harm Sakura, he would help--though the Li boy was such a brat most of the times. The Li boy had to thank him for his super mercy anyway.  
  
Kero ended his thought when the door of Sakura's bedroom was opened. He turned to the door and saw Sakura was entering the room.  
  
"Kero-chan, today we have fruit jelly," Sakura informed and handed him the fruit jelly.  
  
"Wai!" Kero exclaimed with exhilaration, flying to Sakura and gladly took the dish of confection from the girl then settled his own self and the dear fruit jelly on Sakura's desk. When he was about opened his mouth to eat the jelly, he turned to look at Sakura, who sat on her bed. "Sakura, don't we eat the jelly together?" He said with worry.  
  
"Thanks Kero-chan, but I'm full. You can have all." Sakura directed her weak smile to Kero.  
  
"U-Um," Kero nodded.  
  
The guardian flew back to the desk and began to put the jelly into his mouth. Kero was worried about Sakura. It caused him to not happy with the jelly like he should do as was common; notwithstanding the jelly Sakura's brother had made was delicious after all.  
  
Sakura flung her body to lie on her side. She wheeled her body to face the wall of her bedroom, wanting to enshroud her face from Kero.  
  
Sakura knew herself that her emotion was unstable. When Fuutie had visited, she had been crying, causing the young woman had been startled.  
  
Why?  
  
Sakura asked herself this question several times. When Eriol and Mizuki had been leaving Japan, it was sad that she would not meet them, but she could write to them. But when the Chinese boy was leaving, why she had cried? Why she felt her heart was squeezed when she heard the name of the Chinese boy? Why it was desolate? Why it...hurt? Hurt this much?  
  
She did not understand it, did not understand it...at all.  
  
Sakura was deeply absorbed in thought. With her back was facing on Kero's direction, she did not know the guardian occasionally sent his worried peer to her.  
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
At Shaolan's apartment, Fuutie opened the door of Shaolan's room, entering the room with her magic creature. She placed her handbag and the paper bag on the sofa in the main room. Shiki-chan set itself on the sofa beside Fuutie's handbag.  
  
"I'm back, Shaolan," She said. When Fuutie did not find her little bother in the main room, she walked around, looking for him. Fuutie opened the door of Shaolan's bedroom and found him fall asleep, Oh! Shaolan probably has been waiting for me till he falls asleep. He maybe hungry a lot. Then she closed the door softly, Fuutie thought, I better make dinner ready for him when he wakes up.   
  
With the thought, Fuutie walked to the kitchen, picking the raw stuff for dinner out from refrigerator. The boy looked terrible in past few days, since she had arrived to Japan. She had to make the dinner that he had never eat it before for her dear little brother, and she was sure her little brother would happy, even it was little thing, but she would do it for him anyway.  
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
Touya was standing over the sink in the kitchen of his home. He was cleaning the dishes and thinking about the conversation between his little sister and the young woman his little sister had called Fuutie--if he did not get her name wrong. It was not like he had spied the conversation, but they had been talking about it loudly enough to be heard, and all of their conversation had just crushed to his ears.  
  
Tomorrow, at the Tomoeda amusement park, Touya mulled over.  
  
His mind turned to consider his numerous part-time jobs' schedule tomorrow. And he had just recalled he also had a part-time job at the Tomoeda amusement park tomorrow. He really had to do his part-time job at the Tomoeda amusement park. The schedule was just coincident. Nothing much or less...really.  
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
The sleeping Chinese boy, Shaolan, awakened from his peaceful sleep. He looked out of the window in his bedroom to the sky outside. It was dark. Shaolan sat up, stretching his arms. Sleeping helped him felt a bit better. He turned to look at the alarm clock, which was on the top of his bed. It was early evening. Shaolan wonder if his eldest sister already came back from her shopping.  
  
When Shaolan was about to stand up for checking for his eldest sister and her magic creature, Fuutie opened the door of his bedroom, wearing apron.  
  
"Ah! Shaolan you wake up," Fuutie smiled esthetically at the boy. "The dinner is ready. Come to eat."  
  
"U-Um," Shaolan, who was sitting on his bed, nodded anxiously when he heard the word 'dinner' from his eldest sister.  
  
Fuutie turned on the light in Shaolan's bedroom and said, "Shaolan, tomorrow I want to go to the Tomoeda amusement park, and I want you to go with me."  
  
Shaolan looked up at the eldest sister, perplexing. His eldest sister a lot of touring trips around Tokyo in past few days, and she had just come back from all-day shopping with her magic creature. Did she make a new plan of her tour again? Shaolan wondered.  
  
"--Tomoyo-chan and Sakura-chan," the young woman finished.  
  
Shaolan's eyes widened at the name of the girls Fuutie had just said. His heart began to beat faster till it felt hurt in his chest. He had said goodbye to her in this afternoon, and then his eldest sister said they were going to go to amusement park together tomorrow. It was an unexpected sudden to him.... But deep down he knew, with all of his heart, he wanted to spend his little time he had in Japan with the girl he love.....desperately.  
  
The boy looked at the floor. His face was reddened slightly. He nodded, agreeing to go to the place with his eldest sister.  
  
Fuutie gave the boy a soft smile. She picked Shaolan's ticket out from her handbag, knelt down in front of the boy, holding his right hand and put his entrance ticket of the Tomoeda amusement park in it.  
  
"Tomorrow 10 A.M. at the front gate of Tomoeda amusement park," Fuutie said with a steady voice.  
  
"T-Thank you, Fuutie-oneesan." Shaolan stared at the ticket in his right hand dimly. His motion was arrested, as he was deep in thought.  
  
Fuutie cast her one small hand on the boy's shoulder, smiling brightly at him, cheering him up. "Here Shaolan. It is time of dinner," Fuutie said as she leaded the boy to the dinning table.  
  
"U-Um," Shaolan snapped out of his thought. He walked out of his bedroom with Fuutie to the dinning table and sat on his seat.  
  
At the table in the main room had two plates of spaghetti, a big bowl of salad and soup in two deep dishes. The full set of dinner was arranged in Italian style.  
  
"Here Shaolan! I made them all for you!" Fuutie said with excitement.  
  
Shaolan's face went pale with the thought his eldest sister cooked the dinner. He made a silence admit in his mind that he genuinely did not want to eat the meal his eldest sister cooked for him.  
  
"It-It looks nice, Fuutie-oneesan."  
  
Fuutie smiled, "Why don't you eat it?"  
  
Shaolan made an uneasy gulp. The meal looked like the ordinary. He picked a fork, using it to roll spaghetti on his dish, tentatively nibbled the spaghetti and swallowed it.  
  
"Well?" Fuutie stared at the boy, concerning of his reaction.  
  
"It-It's delicious, Fuutie-oneesan." Shaolan told her.  
  
"I knew you will like it, Shaolan!" Fuutie beamed with happiness at the boy.  
  
Shaolan glanced to his eldest sister, who was starting to eat her own dinner. The dinner his eldest sister cooked was good, indeed. Actually it was excellent. Withal it was not the test of the meals that made him frightened, but there was something about the meals his eldest sister cooked that was farther along his acceptable degree.  
  
While the sibling began to eat their dinner, Fuutie also began to present the dinner she had made to the boy. "Hey! You know, Shaolan, I combined the Italian food with some very special ingredients to make this dinner."  
  
The 'very special' ingredients of the meals his eldest sister cooked was the part Shaolan did not want to heard it, but for maintaining his sister's courage, he decided to response to what the subject Fuutie had brought up. "What is it, Fuutie-oneesan?" He asked in soft voice. He was uncertain whether he would make the right decision to ask her about it or not.  
  
"I used ground lizard to make the spaghetti sauce. And there are potato soup with fried snake skin, and salad with plant roast worms." Fuutie presented the dinner proudly.  
  
Shaolan slumped heavy to the floor. It was not called 'very special' ingredients; it should be called 'abnormal' ingredients was more fitted to the ingredients she put into the meals she made. His eldest sister had make the meals looked like an ordinary meal, if she had not told him, he would not know, besides he did not want to know it either. Two things he wondered how could she found such the abnormal ingredients, and how could she eat them like they were nothing different?  
  
"Poor thing, I did not have time to make confection, so I could only buy chocolate ice-cream, your favorite flavor, from the convenient store near this apartment."  
  
That is only thing I can count it normal too, Shaolan added to himself.  
  
Ending her presentation, Fuutie saw the boy was sitting on the floor. "En? Shaolan? What is wrong?"  
  
"Um, n-no-nothing, nothing wrong, Fuutie-oneesan." Shaolan stammered.  
  
Fuutie sent Shaolan an innocent confused expression. "You should eat before the dinner is getting cool, Shaolan," she said, continuing to eat her dinner.  
  
Shaolan watched his eldest sister ate her dinner with amazement, before he tried to climb up to sit on his seat and struggled with all he might to eat the dinner again.  
  
Fuutie's abnormal food was what Shaolan frightened. He had been being tortured by eating Fuutie's abnormal food in past few days, since the day Shiki-chan had almost been fish-in-soup. However Shaolan did not told his sister about it, because he did not want to make her unhappy. He knew his eldest sister did not have any naughty thought to make such a kind of abnormal food. In actual fact, she tried so hard to make them all for him-- only how could she find all this kind of ingredient was hard enough. Shaolan simply prayed to the God he could maintain his life and could take it back to Hong Kong.  
  
Hong Kong...  
  
With that thought, Shaolan felt his heart was squeezed tight, his stomach was being reeled. Finishing his dinner, Shaolan stood up. "I'm full. Thanks for the dinner, Fuutie-oneesan."  
  
When Shaolan was about to gather his dishes for taking them to the sink in the kitchen, Fuutie said, "Leave them, Shaolan. I'll clean them all."  
  
"Thank you, Fuutie-oneesan," said Shaolan.  
  
Fuutie smiled at the boy. When Shaolan disappeared into his bedroom, Fuutie began to muse. The one of her plans-the wonderful dinner for cheering him up-was successful, did not it? Shaolan liked the meal she had made for him, at least. But why her little brother still looked weary?  
  
Finally she shrugged it off, collected all of the dishes on the dinning table to the sink and cleaned them. Her main plan was focus mainly on tomorrow. She wanted her little brother to spend his little precious time in Japan with the girl he loved as much as possible. However since his time in Japan was confined, and the boy did not have any chance came to him, thus she made the chance for her little brother.  
  
Fuutie did not even wish Sakura would reciprocate the feeling of the boy had for her. All She hoped was he would use the chance for doing what he had to do in Japan, telling Sakura he loved her, at least for clearing his mind. If Sakura did reciprocate the feeling or not, it would be 'memory' for both of them. The memory might be happy or sad but all would be better than 'hurt' for the rest of their life if they did not open their mind before they would not have a chance to do it.  
  
Fuutie took a breath. Ultimately, it had to be the kids who had to settle how to bring their way to the end.  
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
Shaolan was sitting on his bed. He was staring at the entrance ticket of the amusement park in his right hand, thinking in an absent-minded.  
  
Tomorrow...  
  
He wondered if he met Sakura tomorrow, what he would do. He needed to be with her, stood by her side, and protected her, the girl who was the person he loved most. The girl who he had never ever wanted to see her hurt or sad...  
  
Sakura...  
  
But he was leaving her, and he would can not be by her side from now on. It was arduous to come in this conclusion, and he did not want to come in this way either. But for Sakura who might be saddened by thinking of his sadness, for her would be happy as her usual did if she did not aware of his feeling. He could not be selfish by telling her his feeling and let her sad because of his confession. So he decided it.  
  
He would not tell her his feeling. The feeling would be entombed in the deepest inside his heart, no matter how long he would take to forget this love, even he did not certain he could forget.  
  
For Sakura...  
  
It was no matter how long it hurt, or how much this hurt would tear his heart. Even... it took the rest of his life. He would not tell her or let her know his feeling.  
  
It was all he could do for her.  
  
--------------E N D--------------- To Be Continue Next ------------------------------------ 


	5. Part Five The Myth

------------------------------------------------------ Part Five: The Myth ------------------------------------------------------  
  
Another summer day of Tomoeda began. Fresh air, golden sun, bright morning blue sky, pure white clouds, faint fragrance of green trees were blown along the summer winds showed that it was another nice day in Tomoeda.  
  
At the Kinomoto resident, Sakura was lying on her bed in her own bedroom. She made a quiet shift, turning to lie on her side. Sakura opened her eyes slowly, when she felt the warm light of the sun osculated her face. Sakura sat up carefully, not wanting to disturb Kero, who sound asleep beside her, and got up from her bed. All sudden her little heart squeezed as her caught the sight of the teddy bear Shaolan had forgotten to bring it back.  
  
I should return it back to him. It must be very important to him because he was about going to give it to the person he loves, did not he? She was very certain, whoever the person was; the person must be very lucky since the boy was very good person...  
  
Sakura could feel her heart was squeezed sorely again with that thought.  
  
Sakura had not slept well last night. She had mused about the allude Eriol- kun had told her before he had left Tomoeda, the reason why she had cried last night, why she felt her heart was squeezed whenever she heard the name of the Chinese boy or thought of him. All she knew was, definitely, she did not want her another friend to leave but some how it...hurt, hurt a lot, she could not understand it...why.  
  
Sakura shook her head and stretched out her arms. She should better back to self, not wanting anyone to worry about her, she thought then walked to bathroom for taking a bath.  
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
"Umm... this shirt match with this pants..." Fuutie paused and looked, "or this better?" Fuutie held another shirt and brought it against Shaolan who was standing like an effigy in a shopping center. She turned and picked another pants from a heap of shirts and pants, which was dispersed on Shaolan's bed, where Shiki-chan was buried somewhere under the heap. "Umm...or this one?"  
  
Shaolan sighed. He had been standing like this for a haft hour. "Fuutie- oneesan, anything."  
  
Fuutie neglected what Shaolan had said, she continued to find the best dress for her young brother, wanting everything was the best for her plan today. "Ah! Here! It's perfect!" Fuutie smiled broadly at the picture of Shaolan was wearing a deep blue shirt very matched with black pants she had chosen. "You're very handsome now, Shaolan."  
  
Shaolan blushed; being flattered caused him uneasy.  
  
"Next, let me do your hair, Shaolan." Fuutie grinned, holding a hairbrush in her hand.  
  
He sighed once more, he felt like he was his eldest sister's doll.  
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
After Fuutie succeed to make her little looked as nice as she wanted, the siblings and Shiki-chan arrived to the Tomoeda amusement park. They could see that at the front gate of the Tomoeda amusement park, Tomoyo had already waited for them, holding her video camera.  
  
"Good morning Fuutie-san, Li-kun, Shiki-chan." Tomoyo greeted while smiling  
  
"Good morning Tomoyo-chan," Fuutie greeted back, smiling back at the girl, as Shiki-chan bowed to her.  
  
"Good morning," said Shaolan.  
  
"Li-kun, you look very nice today," Tomoyo said.  
  
"T-Thanks" said Shaolan. He blushed lightly while Fuutie also smiled down at the boy, pounding of her performance.  
  
"What about Sakura-chan?" Fuutie asked, looking around.  
  
Right away when Fuutie had finished her question, Sakura arrived to the place where they had been standing. The girl wore one-piece, knee length, light cherry-blossom flower color dress, which matched with the summer vacation, and a light yellow egg shape backpack draped behind her.  
  
"Good morning Fuutie-san, Tomoyo-chan, Shiki-chan." Sakura greeted.  
  
"Good morning, Sakura-chan," Tomoyo and Fuutie greeted back, Shiki-chan bowed to Sakura.  
  
Looking around, Shiki-chan was trying to find Kero, but nowhere the guardian to be found. Shiki-chan practically slumped and let out a disappointed sigh that the new friend evidently did not join today. Perceiving the disappointed pose of the magic creature almost caused Fuutie blurted out laugh, but she tried to suppress it. She wondered where her magic creature got those kinds of act?  
  
Meanwhile Sakura turned to Shaolan, her face was red, hesitating to look at him. Her heart was beating painfully and her face was red, looking at the floor, not daring to look at the boy's face. "G-Good morning Li-kun."  
  
Shaolan, on the other hand, had the same reaction as Sakura, looking at the floor with the same feeling—did not dare to look at her face. "G-Good morning." He felt his stomach was arching again while he greeted her, he did not know that why recently he had this stomachache so often. It was since he had known that he must go back to Hong Kong. Maybe he had his stomachache because over stress, he supposed.  
  
Sakura and Shaolan were standing there and soundless, not knowing what to do.  
  
Perceiving the uncomfortable silence grew, Fuutie said, "I guess we better to go in, ne Tomoyo-chan." She turned to Tomoyo for supporting.  
  
"Yes, we better go in, Sakura-chan, Li-kun." Catching the signal from Fuutie, Tomoyo agreed, smiling.  
  
Snapping back from the silence, Sakura and Shaolan nodded.  
  
"Let's go. Let's go," Fuutie said, nudging Sakura and Shaolan into the amusement park with Tomoyo and Shiki-chan followed. To herself, Fuutie mentally sighed, seeing the reaction of her little brother and Sakura already discouraged her. How this day would end? She thought to herself.  
  
In the Tomoeda amusement park had a lot of people came to visit, as today was Sunday, during summer vacation, and moreover it was Tanabata Maturi--or to be known as Star Festival. For feting the traditional Japanese festival, every year the Tomoeda amusement park would perform show which was known as the most famous and most impressive.  
  
The group was walking in the amusement park. Tomoyo, who act as a guide, walked with Fuutie, who was listening to Tomoyo and admiring everything around her, just like an ordinary foreigner took a tour. Shiki-chan, that catching all kid's attention along the way, was drifting beside Fuutie.  
  
"Wow!" exciting Fuutie. She turned to Tomoyo and lowed her voice enough to prevent the kids behind not hear her. "Tomoyo-chan, I knew you chose to come here because the show of the festival, but I didn't expect a lot of people like this."  
  
Smiling Tomoyo said, "they all probably come to watch the shows too, Fuutie- san"  
  
"I can't wait to see how wonderful the show'll be," said Fuutie, glitter of excitement in her eyes, smiling to Tomoyo, who smiled back to her.  
  
Tomoyo and Fuutie secretly peeped over their shoulder to look at Sakura and Shaolan followed them silently, mixing with shyness and uneasiness. They purposely left Sakura and Shaolan to walk together.  
  
Feeling she had to say something, Sakura gathered her nerve and said, "To- Today has a lot of people, ne Li-kun,"  
  
He found the uncomfortableness in her voice. It made him realized that his reaction was causing her uneasy, and he did not want her to worry about him. "Um," Shaolan nodded in response, he smiled to her slightly.  
  
Seeing his smile, Sakura's could feel her heart beat faster, blushing, but his smile also relieved her tension. Sakura smiled back to Shaolan.  
  
Looking at her, Shaolan could detect, in her eyes was not as bright as she always was. With worry, he asked, "Sakura, did you sleep well last night?"  
  
"Ho-e, well, yes, I, um, slept very well." She did not tell the truth, not wanting him to worry about her.  
  
However despite the fact that she was not a good liar caused Shaolan more confidence that she had something in her mind. "Something wrong?" He asked again with concern.  
  
"N-Nothing nothing" Sakura laughed nervously.  
  
"Sakura," said Shaolan, worrying about her.  
  
"Really Li-kun"  
  
When Shaolan was about to open his mouth again, Fuutie called. "Shaolan, Sakura-chan! Let begin with this first!" She pointed at a roller coaster in front of her and Tomoyo.  
  
"Y-Yes." Sakura and Shaolan both nodded and followed Tomoyo and Fuutie.  
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
In main technical controlling room of the Tomoeda amusement park, two technical controllers, who was surrounded with electric panels and monitors, were checking and preparing for the Star festival show which was coming in this evening.  
  
"There'll have enough electricity for all the parade and the show in this evening?" The first controllers asked his friend.  
  
"Yep, sure... but...umm."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Look at this," the second controller pointed at the monitor in front of him. "The monitor's showing the Ferris wheel area has electronic wire damage, don't it?"  
  
"Let me see." The first controller shoved his friend to stand aside and began to check it. "Um... I don't see anything wrong."  
  
"Is that so?"  
  
"Gee, look at the dark circles under your eyes, buddy, you probably overwork till makes you feel giddy, don't you?"  
  
He sighted, "I guess you're right. We all have been overworking for this past week for the show in this evening."  
  
"Come on, it's lunch time. Let find something to eat then we can check other sections."  
  
"'Kay."  
  
Both controllers went out from the room to find some meals to eat; missing the signal of the Ferris wheel's damage that was showing again on the monitor.  
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
"Ah! It's fun!" said Fuutie, walking out from 'Super roller 360 degree ball' machine.  
  
Seeing Shaolan's face was little pale, Sakura asked with worry, "Li-kun are you all right?" The question drew all the attention of the rest of the group to Shaolan.  
  
"I-I'm fine."  
  
"But your face is obviously pale," added Tomoyo.  
  
"Yes, Tomoyo-chan's right, Shaolan." Fuutie said while Shiki-chan nodded, agreeing.  
  
Actually Shaolan felt totally not fine and rather ill. His stomach became more and more ached since the morning. Furthermore he had ridden almost all kind of swinging machines in the amusement park. Something swinging, something spinning, something banging or rolling, all of them were appreciated by his sister, and those only made his stomach was even more ached. Those kinds of machines would not bother him if he were really fine, but now he was not. However Shaolan still confirmed others he was fine.  
  
"Maybe over rolled, Fuutie-san," Tomoyo commented.  
  
Fuutie nodded, looking at her wristwatch. "It's lunch time, I think we should find some place to rest and have lunch."  
  
"Yes," Three kids nodded.  
  
The group walked to a little cafe, which was very well ornamented in white and blue Scott patters. They entered the cafe and sat at a table, and then a waiter came and brought menus with him. The waiter could clearly noticed that Sakura was looking at Shaolan with all her concern.  
  
"What do you want to order, sir?" The waiter asked.  
  
Sakura was snapped back to the voice of the waiter. Why the voice was so familiar? Sakura looked up to see the waiter. "Onii-chan!" Sakura's exclaiming caused everyone looked up. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Part-time job," said Touya. He looked around and found Tomoyo and Fuutie gave him a greeting bow as he did so, and then he turned to reciprocate a greeting glare with Shaolan. Touya was being displeased because in Sakura's eyes, when she sent a concern look to that brat, it annoyed the big brother very much. Why his little sister had to worry about that brat that much anyway, the annoyed big brother thought. "What do you want to order? Today's specialty has fried rice, curry rice, yakisoba and barbecue with baked tomato." Touya offered with a tiny blood vein popped on his head.  
  
"Ho-e, um, I want fried rice."  
  
Touya began to jot the order.  
  
"I want fried rice too," said Tomoyo.  
  
"Umm I want yakisoba, what about you, Shaolan?" Fuutie turned to asked her little brother.  
  
"Fried rice."  
  
"What do you want to drink then?" asked Touya.  
  
"Orange juice," said Sakura  
  
"Peach juice, please," said Tomoyo  
  
"Lemon tea, please. Shaolan?"  
  
"Iced tea."  
  
Touya jotted all the orders, he collected the menus back, and bowed to the group, as it was the manner every waiter had to do to every customer. He stole a glance at Shiki-chan before he turned to walk back for giving the orders to the main counter.  
  
After the group finished the lunch, Fuutie asked, "What do you want to play next?"  
  
"What about boating there?" Tomoyo offered, pointing to a large lake that surrounded with various kind of flowers, and the lake also had a tunnel for boats to go in side and went out to another side of the lake.  
  
"Great! Sakura-chan, Shaolan, do you want to go there?" Fuutie asked.  
  
Sakura looked at her and nodded, smiling. "I'd love to, ne Li-kun," she turned to Shaolan, asking for support and got a nod from Shaolan. Actually boat was good, nothing risked getting her Chinese friend more ill, Sakura thought.  
  
The boats were not much big and only two persons could sit on each. Fuutie and Shiki-chan sat with Tomoyo, while Sakura sat with Shaolan on another one, following Tomoyo and Fuutie's boat.  
  
Sitting on the boat with the Chinese boy, Sakura said, looking at him with all of her concern, "Li-kun, are you feel better now?"  
  
Boating, Shaolan blushed but he kept smiled at her, "Yes."  
  
Sakura smiled back at him. She was glad that her friend felt better.  
  
Boating, Fuutie was surprised when she looked back at the boat behind hers. Shaolan was smiling! Just like an ordinary kid! She had never ever seen her little brother smiled like this before. Her little brother had always acted, as he was not a kid but as an adult in the kid body. "Tomoyo-chan," said Fuutie.  
  
"Yes, Fuutie-san?" answering Tomoyo, Shiki-chan was on her lap.  
  
"Shaolan always smiles when he's with Sakura-chan or at school? I mean I have never ever seen him smile like a kid before." Fuutie asked, confusing, as if she did not believe what she had just seen. It was just weirdo for her little brother.  
  
"En?" With confuse, Tomoyo looked at the boy on the another boat, seeing him was exchanging a cheerful smile with Sakura, Tomoyo immediately understand. "He has been just doing it in past few days, Fuutie-san, and everyone in the class was very surprised when we saw his first intentionally smile."  
  
Fuutie gave Tomoyo Oh!-I-see looked, "But en? He has been doing it in past few days? It was..."  
  
Tomoyo nodded hesitantly, "... the day... after you arrived to Japan."  
  
Fuutie stopped cold. It was the day after he had known he had to leave Japan soon, leaving Sakura. Or that smile was what Shaolan used for cover his pain? She had wondered how Shaolan's smile looked like. What could make him smile? In what situation? She had expected Shaolan would smile because he was happy, really happy enough to make him smiled, not smiled for hiding his pain.  
  
Catching the unhappiness in Fuutie's eyes made Tomoyo and Shiki-chan worried, "Fuutie-san."  
  
"Nothing Tomoyo-chan, I just... did not expect... to see his smile because he want to... hide his sadness..." Fuutie trailed off.  
  
Tomoyo nodded, understanding.  
  
My poor little brother, Fuutie thought sadly, looking over she shoulder to Shaolan.  
  
The two boats entered the tunnel, which was on the center of the lake. Inside was dark, but the wall of the tunnel was decorated with numerous little electric lights along the way, the water beneath the boats reflected the lights perfectly as if the water was a very big mirror. Floating in the tunnel, it was like they were floating in the night sky.  
  
"it's beautiful, ne Li-kun" said Sakura and smiled, amazing what she was seeing.  
  
"Um," Shaolan nodded, agreeing.  
  
It did remind Sakura to the fair of her school. The day she had confessed her feeling to Yukito-san. In the gymnasium that at that time had used the name 'Star road', she had been with Yukito-san. The gymnasium had also been decorated with the small electric lights.  
  
Sakura looked at Shaolan. It reminded her farther, afterward in the park, with Li-kun, she had cried, and how he had comforted her, telling her that he had sure she would find the person that she loved most and loved her most too. His words had helped her very much at that time. She, too, wished Shaolan would find the person that he loved most and loved him back most... the person that he had intended to give his teddy bear to. Sakura smiled at Shaolan, but inside she could felt her heart was squeezed, and it was... hurt, hurt with the thought of whom was the person the Chinese boy fell for.  
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
Kero was flying in the blue sky, and it was high enough to make no one noticed him. Below him was the Tomoeda amusement park, he was looking for Sakura. He had intended to go with her today, even it meant he would be trundled by that fat fish of the Li lady. Unfortunately--and very strange to Sakura--she had awakened up and left before he could awake. But, still, had seen Sakura last night made him really worried about her, so he decided to follow her to the Tomoeda amusement park, but...  
  
"Argghh!! Why it's crowd like this? And where're they anyway!?"  
  
His two arms swung wildly in fluctuate. Kero was facing a big problem. He had been finding the group for three hours under the burning sun. Nevertheless he could not find them.  
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
Coming out from the tunnel, but Sakura's boat was still in the tunnel, Tomoyo could swear she heard Kero's voice, calling her name, above her head. Looking up, she saw drained and exhausted from flying in the hot air Kero was flying to her. He fell to her lap, on the top of Shiki-chan, wearing out.  
  
"Cerberus??"  
  
"Kero-chan?? Why are you here?" Tomoyo asked, scooping Kero up from the top of Shiki-chan.  
  
Kero flew from Tomoyo's hands and landed on the girl lap, beside Shiki- chan. "I just—Ack!" Kero was cut off by the very-glad-to-see-friend Shiki- chan, trying to hug him.  
  
"Shiki-chan, please don't hug him now, Cerberus's very tired, give him some rest, okay?" Fuutie forbade her magic creature.  
  
Shiki-chan nodded, loosing the hug, so instead of hug, Shiki-chan fluttered a fin, making wind to cool Kero down from the heat of summer.  
  
"Thanks," said relieved Kero to Shiki-chan, then he turned to Tomoyo to continue where he had been cut off, "I just worry about Sakura, so I came here." Then Kero turned to Fuutie, "And if anything I can help, tell me I'll help."  
  
"Thank you very much Cerberus, you're very kind." Fuutie smiled brilliantly.  
  
When Sakura and Shaolan' boat came out from the tunnel, Fuutie directed her boat to Sakura's boat, so they could talk.  
  
"Sakura-chan, look, who is here," said Tomoyo, smiling.  
  
Sakura was surprised when she saw Kero with Tomoyo and Fuutie. "Kero-chan? Why you're here?"  
  
"Once in a while, I want to go out too," said Kero, not telling all the truth.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me?" asked Sakura.  
  
"I forgot," Kero said confidently, folding her arms on his chest.  
  
Sakura and Shaolan blinked, confusing.  
  
After finished boating, the group returned the boat to the pier and left the lake. With Kero was in Fuutie's handbag, emerged his head from the opening zip, they continued to ride machines that not much swinging, not much spinning, not much banging for Shaolan would not get more ill.  
  
When they came out from the machine they had ridden, they walked out of the machine, and they found a parade was passing them.  
  
"Wow! There has a parade!" Kero exclaimed, exciting.  
  
"It is 6:10 P.M. And it is time for the parade, Kero-chan," said Tomoyo. She smiled when she saw Sakura, Shaolan and Fuutie were smiling, and glint was in Shiki-chan's eyes. The beauty of the parade amazed them all.  
  
The parade was embellished beautifully with the fine color fabrics, electric lights and other stuffs. The mascots of the Tomoeda amusement park, the princesses, the princes and other characters from myths were walking with the parade, greeting the visitors that gathered themselves along the way the parade passed.  
  
"The parade was really wonderful, ne," said Fuutie, smiling to all.  
  
"Yes," everyone nodded in agree.  
  
Tomoyo smiled. "The next will be the star festival show, near the Ferris wheel." She pointed to the big and only Ferries wheel of the Tomoeda amusement park.  
  
The Ferris wheel of Tomoeda amusement park was the biggest Ferris wheel of all amusement parks in Tokyo. It was located at the center of the amusement park. As for the show, the Ferris wheel itself and trees were decorated beautifully with numerous electric lights, which made the Ferris wheel looked as if it was a Milky Way of the night sky.  
  
"Really? It's great!" Said Fuutie. "Oh, we haven't played that Ferris wheel yet." Fuutie pounded her right fist on her left palm, "I have an idea!" Her abrupt excited utterance caught everyone's attention. "Why don't we go to play the Ferris wheel? So we can have a good site the see the show and at the same time we can see the view of Tomoeda town in the night too."  
  
"Good idea, Li lady." Kero agreed.  
  
"Yes, that is great idea, Fuutie-san," Tomoyo turned to Sakura and Shaolan, "ne Sakura-chan, Li-kun."  
  
"Yes," Sakura said cheerfully, while Shaolan nodded in agree.  
  
Then the group head to the Ferris wheel. Fortunately for the group, there had not many peoples were waiting in the line, but visitors already filled almost all of Ferris wheel. At the basement of the Ferris wheel has a stuff of the amusement park who acted as a doorman, opening one by one of each Ferris' doors, waiting the peoples to enter and locked each door of each Ferris carefully for the safety of the visitors themselves.  
  
When it was about their turn to go inside a Ferris, Fuutie said, "I want some snacks there," she pointed to the snack store by the Ferris wheel. "Please come with me, Tomoyo-chan, I can't read Japanese language." With her back facing Sakura and Shaolan, Fuutie sent Tomoyo a signal wink.  
  
Getting the signal, Tomoyo smiled, "my pleasure, Fuutie-san."  
  
"Me too! Me too!" Kero, who was emerged his upper body from Fuutie's handbag, squalled when he heard the word 'snacks'.  
  
"Kero-chan!" Sakura cried, warning Kero to be composed himself.  
  
Fuutie giggled, "It's all right, Sakura-chan. I love to see when Cerberus eat too, he looks really cute when he's eating."  
  
"Wai! Wai!" Kero cheered happily.  
  
Fuutie giggled again and said, "Anything you want to eat, Shaolan, Sakura- chan?"  
  
"N-No. Thank you, Fuutie-san."  
  
"No. Thank you, Fuutie-oneesan."  
  
"Okay, so you two go in the Ferris Wheel first. After I have snacks, I'll follow." Fuutie said while pushing Sakura and Shaolan into the waiting Ferris wheel. Her main purpose was to lock Sakura and Shaolan together.  
  
"En?" Shaolan stuttered. "But we can wait..."  
  
"The others are waiting, Shaolan." Fuutie cut him off.  
  
Seeing that other peoples were on the line behind them, and the stuff of the amusement park were opening the door of a Ferris, waiting for them to go inside patiently. Sakura and Shaolan gave Fuutie a little nodded before they went in the waiting Ferris together.  
  
Fuutie's smiles filled with satisfaction, as she could achieve her purpose, then she turned to Tomoyo, pretending to be innocence, and said, "Let go to buy snacks, Tomoyo-chan."  
  
Tomoyo giggled, as she could see what Fuutie had tried to do, she smiled to Fuutie and said, "Yes, Fuutie-san"  
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
As Fuutie had said, in the Ferris was the best site to appreciate to the view of Tomoeda town which was being bathed by the numerous of electric lights, and the other side of the Ferris was the view of Tomoeda amusement park.  
  
Appreciating the view outside the windows of the Ferris they were sitting, Sakura, who was sitting by the window and looking at the view of the Tomoeda amusement park, said, "Look, Li-kun, the view outside's really beautiful."  
  
Shaolan, on the other hand, stole a glance at Sakura, and saw the girl he was in love with was also being bathed by the reflected light from the outside, he said, "Yes, beautiful." He felt his face grew hot. He looked away from Sakura, before she could notice that he was looking at her, to the view of the Tomoeda amusement park in the night.  
  
The kids sat silently, treasuring the view for a while, then Sakura began.  
  
"I-I had the good time today, Li-kun," she said, blushing lightly.  
  
Shaolan nodded, blushing, "Me too, Sakura."  
  
"L-Li-kun," Sakura made an uncomfortable and hesitated call.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"W-When you will go back to Hong Kong? I mean your... flight." She asked with small voice.  
  
Shaolan gasped, his breath was caught and his stomach was arched again. He felt a surge of pain rushed to him when he heard her question. Hiding his pain in his eyes by looking away from her, he replied, "Coming Wednesday, at-at 1:30 P.M."  
  
Sakura trembled at his answer, "Can... Can I meet you at the airport? S-So Tomoyo-chan, Kero-chan and... and I can say good-goodbye..." Sakura trailed off.  
  
"Yes, you all can..."  
  
"... L-Li-kun," she called him once again.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Will... will you be back... again?" Sakura asked, hope in her voice.  
  
Shaolan tightened his jaw. "All of my duty in Japan was finished," he replied, biting back the part that he would probably not came back again because all his duty in Japan had finished.  
  
Sakura bowed her head and looking down. Her heart was sore badly, as if it was being ruptured, tears began to well up on her eyes, but she tried hard to keep them from felling down.  
  
[When the same thing occurs again] Eriol's voice repeated in Sakura' head, [when a person who is close to you end up by going some place far away, please think hard about how you feel then, and how it different with how you feel about my going. Because if you do that, you'll know who is the person you truly think of as your 'number one'.]  
  
I-I don't want him to leave. Sakura thought. Sakura looked at him again, her face was red, the intense despair was in her eyes, "Li-kun, I- I....."  
  
Shaolan turned to Sakura, as she called him, listening what she was going to say calmly.  
  
Her mouth hung down, as if she wanted to say something, but it was nothing came out. "Li-kun, I--" she tried again.  
  
"Good evening, ladies and gentled men," the voice that came out from speakers, which resounded allover the amusement park, interrupt Sakura. "Tomoeda amusement park proudly to present the Star festival show. We all hope you will enjoy the show."  
  
Suddenly all the lights around the yard and the adjacent areas were shut, showing the visitor, who was gathering around the yard the darkness. Then the small electric lights began to turn on group by group and one by one, presenting themselves as if they were constellations and little stars in the darkness of the night sky.  
  
"Once upon a time" The voice of narrator began, "Members of royalty were, associated with the heavens; Tentei (the celestial emperor) being centered at the North Pole.  
  
"One day, the celestial princess, Orihime, was sitting beside the river of heaven (Milky Way)."  
  
The little numerous electric lights began to turn on one after another, filling the darkness with their light, till they were looked alike a long Milky Way of the night sky. Then Orihime, who dressed in a beautiful and very traditional Japanese outfit, hanging herself my using invisible slings, drifted from the darkness to the river of heaven, amazing all the visitor.  
  
"She had been weaving because her father. The emperor loved the beautiful clothes that she made.  
  
"On this particular day, she was very sad because she realized that she had been so busy that she didn't have time to fall in love. Her father, Tentei, the ruler of the heavens, felt sorry for her and arranged a marriage with Kengyuu, who lived across the river of heaven.  
  
"Their marriage was one of sweetness and happiness from the start; and everyday thereafter they grew happier and happier. However Tentei became very angry, for the reason that she was spending so much time in her happy marriage, Orihime was neglecting her weaving.  
  
"So Tentei decided to separate the couple. He placed them back in their original places, separated by the Milky Way. The couple was forced to be separated by the river of heaven and only one night of the year would he allow them to meet, the 7th day of the 7th month.  
  
"However, there is no bridge over the river of heaven, and the princess, on her first visit, wept so bitterly when she found out that it's impossible for her to meet her beloved husband. This roused the sympathy of a Kasasagi (magpie) who assured her that a bridge would be contrived for her, every year on that day. This was done when the magpies spread their wings, forming a bridge on which the princess crossed.  
  
"Even so if Orihime has not done her weaving to the best of her skills and ability, Tentei may make it rain on the eve of 7 July. When it rains, the magpies will not form the bridge and the celestial lovers must wait another year before meeting ... "  
  
"What's a wicked father?!" Kero, who was eating a waffle, said angrily.  
  
Shiki-chan, who rested itself by Kero's side and looked as if was going to cry, nodded in agreement. Both magic creatures pitied the celestial lovers.  
  
Kero turned to Tomoyo and asked, "They have to stuck with this forever?"  
  
Tomoyo smiled to him and Shiki-chan and nodded. Hearing Kero groaned in disappointment, she added, "For this day, we will write wishes to the deity Orihime on colorful strips of paper. On the evening of Tanabata, they tie these paper wishes to freshly cut bamboo, believed that the wishes will become true."  
  
"If I write that I wish Orihime can be with Kengyuu forever, it will become true?" Kero asked hopefully.  
  
"It probably will help them a lot, Kero-chan."  
  
"Good!" Kero and Shiki-chan both jumped with determination in their eyes. Kero grasped a Shiki-chan's short fin and flew together.  
  
"Wait, Cerberus, Shiki-chan. Where are you two going?" Fuutie called.  
  
One good thing was now the amusement park did not turn much lights on, so it would not much catch others' eyes if a pink fish-shaped balloon and an orange rat doll would fly together freely.  
  
Kero and Shiki-chan turned to where Fuutie and Tomoyo were standing. "Find bamboo and striped papers to write our wishes."  
  
Fuutie and Tomoyo blinked, confusing.  
  
"Hey quick, Tomoyo, Li lady! We have to write the wish before that wicked father will make rain." Kero said, while Shiki-chan gesturing for Tomoyo and Fuutie to follow.  
  
Tomoyo and Fuutie turned to look at each other and giggled. They followed the two magic creatures. Kero and Shiki-chan were fully drawn into the show.  
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
In the Ferris, Sakura's mobile phone rang.  
  
"Yes?" Sakura answered the phone.  
  
"Sakura-chan, it's Tomoyo. Fuutie-san, Kero-chan, Shiki-chan and I are finding a booth that sells bamboo and striped paper."  
  
"Oh-e?" Sakura was confused.  
  
"Kero and Shiki-chan really pity Orihime and Kengyuu. They want to help them by write their wish as quick as possible, just in case Tentei will make rains," Tomoyo giggled lightly. "Will you and Li-kun wait at the Ferris wheel for a while? We will meet you there soon."  
  
"Yes, Tomoyo-chan, we'll wait. See you."  
  
"See you later, Sakura-chan." Finishing the conversation, Tomoyo hung up.  
  
When Sakura hung up her mobile phone, she looked at Shaolan. "Fuutie-san, Tomoyo-chan, Kero-chan and Shiki-chan are finding a booth that sells bamboo and striped paper."  
  
"For what?" Shaolan asked, confusing.  
  
"Tomoyo said Kero-chan and Shiki-chan really pity Orihime and Kengyuu, and they want to help by write their wish."  
  
"Oh..."  
  
Sakura and Shaolan went to silence again. They were staring out to the view of Tomoeda amusement park in the night.  
  
"... Actually, Me too... thinks that they're pitying." Sakura began quietly. Her face flushed in soft pink, unnerving to look at the face of the boy before her.  
  
"En?" Shaolan turned to look at Sakura.  
  
"Orihime and Kengyuu... Being separated from the person they loved most, it'll be very sad..."  
  
Shaolan sat quietly, looking at the girl tentatively said words. He smiled lightly but his eyes were sorrowful, as he did understand how it felt, being separated from the person who was beloved. And he was going to face those feelings very soon.  
  
"I-I think I can understand. When... when the last judgement, Yue-san said that... if I failed the judgement... I would forgot everyone... It was terrified me a lot..." Sakura gripped the hem of her dress tight, looking down at her feet.  
  
"But you succeed." Shaolan said, his voice was consoled and soft.  
  
"And when Eriol-kun called the Dark, making Tomoeda covered with darkness... Everyone fell asleep. First Tomoyo-chan, Onii-chan then Kero- chan and Yue-san and then... and then... you."  
  
"Sakura..."  
  
"I-I was very scared. When I thought that... that I would never see you again, I just could not let it happened."  
  
"Sakura?" Shaolan was more and more confused by what exactly was in her mind, he felt his stomach ache increase its intensity.  
  
[When the same thing occurs again] The memory of Eriol's speech repeated, [when a person who is close to you end up by going some place far away, please think hard about how you feel then, and how it different with how you feel about my going. Because if you do that, you'll know who is the person you truly think of as your 'number one'.]  
  
At last, Sakura turned her face up to Shaolan slowly, her eyes glistened by tears, "Li-kun, I--"  
  
Abruptly, with a damaged knot and was the main one that linked the core spindle of the Ferris wheel could not hold its duty any longer. The main knot began to loosen from the core spindle, which created the force of colliding to the Ferris wheel. The peoples inside the Ferris wheel were thrown side to side by the momentum.  
  
"What happen!?" cried Sakura. Both kids stood up sharply and looked around to see what was happening.  
  
"Something wrong with this Ferris wheel, Sakura!"  
  
As Shaolan finished his statement, the Ferris wheel began to incline to the yard that the show had performed. The weight of the huge Ferris wheel ripped the various big and small live wires that were coiled the Ferris wheel. It caused the one forth of total power of the Tomoeda amusement park was out. Screams of the visitors around the Ferris wheel could be heard all over the park.  
  
A good thing was electric insulator allover wrapped the Ferris wheel. So even many high power live wires had been ripped apart, they could not harm peoples who were in the Ferris wheel if they did not touch any of those live wires directly.  
  
The bad thing was the biggest Ferris wheel of Tokyo was going to topple.  
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
The saddened powers out of the Ferris wheel and shrieking of peoples snatched all eyes of Kero, Tomoyo, Fuutie and Shiki-chan, which were sitting on a branch, writing their wishes.  
  
"Some thing wrong with that Ferris wheel! Shaolan and Sakura-chan are still there! Come quick Cerberus, Tomoyo-chan!" Fuutie commanded. She scooped Shiki-chan and run to the Ferris wheel, knowing that Shiki-chan could not flew fast. She prayed to the god to protect her little brother and the girl.  
  
"Sakura and Li boy are in danger!" Kero headed to the Ferris wheel quickly.  
  
"Sakura-chan!" cried Tomoyo, following Fuutie and Kero.  
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
Touya bolted out quickly from the cafe he did his part-time job, looking at the Ferris wheel. Sakura was in danger! His sense cried out. Even he had given all his power to Yue, but his special sense for his little sister still worked well.  
  
Damn! Ignoring the call of his name from another writer, Touya ran to the Ferris wheel as quick as he could, Why his sister was always put in dangers? He caused.  
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
In side the tilted Ferris wheel, which was nearly toppled to the yard that the show had preformed, the kids were standing.  
  
"Release!!" Sakura hold her magic stave in her hands. She turned to Shaolan. "We must help others to get out of this Ferris wheel before it topples, Li-kun!"  
  
"Um," Shaolan nodded, already holding his sword in his hand.  
  
Sakura and Shaolan both knew the Ferris wheel was going to topple soon before a rescue party would arrive. Everyone that was in this Ferris wheel and stood around this yard was in the great danger. And they would not let the disaster happened if they could help.  
  
"Wood!!" Sakura called her card.  
  
Finishing its master's call, the numerous of lianas came from other side, holding the tilted Ferris wheel up tight in place. But unfortunately, the Ferris wheel was overweight more than woods could hold. Finally, with the weight of the Ferris wheel and the attractive force of the earth the lianas could not hold the Ferris wheel any longer. All the lianas were ripped apart.  
  
With that, it created the great force of bang within the Ferris wheel, caused a little young boy bumped hardly against the door of his Ferris made the door busted opened and the boy fell from his Ferris.  
  
"NOOO!!!!" His mother screamed in terror. Her child was going to die before her.  
  
"Fuuka Shourai!!"  
  
On the spur of the moment, the body of the little boy was held in the air by the magic wind, protecting him from crashing against the earth. The little boy was landed safely with little confusion. Seeing that, the mother of the little boy cried in grateful to whatever gods who had helped her child.  
  
"Li-kun!?" Sakura turned to Shaolan, who had just used his magic to save the little boy's life. She was relieved from the terrified moment; he could be helpful as always.  
  
Nevertheless the real problem was still not be solved, the Ferris wheel continued to tilt into the deeper angle. Everyone that was in the Ferris wheel tried their best to hold their balance, but they all knew, with this situation and with the rescued party still did not arrive, more terrorized things were going to happen.  
  
"This Ferris wheel's going to topple!" Shaolan warned. They had to do something, but what.  
  
"But this Ferris wheel's too heavy, Wood could not hold!" Sakura cried, being scared out of her wits. "How can I... What should I do?" Tears caked on her eyes. She was going to cry. What should they do? What should they do? Sakura thought in helpless, as the Ferris wheel made another degree of its bend caused Sakura lost her balance.  
  
"Don't cry," Shaolan commanded resolutely, using his left hand to catch Sakura and held her in place. "Cry will not make anything better."  
  
Sakura stared at him. There was Shaolan, standing before her and giving her courage every times she loosed it. She felt power rush to her, making her stronger. And with that power, she could do anything. He always helped her, always gave her courage, and always gave her power. If she had him by her side, she would become stronger, and everything would be okay.  
  
Finally claimed down, Sakura wiped tears from her eyes and nodded.  
  
"Maybe, you can use Windy. I will used Fuuka Shourai so we can help others to out of this Ferris wheel and land on the ground safely." Shaolan suggested.  
  
"Um," Sakura nodded, then she called the card, "Windy!"  
  
"Fuuka Shourai!" Shaolan called his wind magic.  
  
The magic winds made all the doors of the Ferris wheel, excepted Sakura and Shaolan's, opened and took everyone out from the Ferris wheel individually and brought them down onto the ground safely.  
  
Everyone that was around the place and was the witnesses of the miracle event was marveled, as they saw the peoples out from the Ferris wheel and landed onto the ground one after another. It must be the God that was helping them, they all thought.  
  
Sakura and Shaolan' power were being depleted. Using their magic to take peoples one by one continuously was the big deal, even for Sakura, the greatest magician of the world. However they both kept persisting in their rescue.  
  
Dashing to the Ferris wheel at the same time, Touya, Tomoyo, Kero and Fuutie, who was holding Shiki-chan in her arms, stood by one another's side. They did not aware that they were standing by one another, as they concerned to the safety of the kids.  
  
Seeing the supernatural even, Touya uttered, "Sakura..." He knew it was his little sister's magic that was rescuing peoples and another was...  
  
"Shaolan," Fuutie called with worry. Seeing the magic, she could know the kids were still unharmed, but using a lot of magic like that would drain all of their power completely.  
  
When the last person was brought down to the ground, Sakura fell to the one of her knee. She was exhausted.  
  
"Are... Are you all right?" Shaolan asked. He also fell onto his knee, using his sword to keep his body from collapsing to the floor. His illness only made his condition worse.  
  
"Um," Sakura nodded, "What about you, Li-kun?"  
  
"I am fine," he lied. Sensing the Ferris wheel tilted even deeper, Shaolan said, "We have to get out of this Ferris wheel quick." Forcing himself to stand up to his feet, he helped Sakura to stand up to her feet.  
  
"Um," Sakura nodded. She reached out, intending to grape the knot of the door and open it. She planned to use Fly to help her and the boy to land on the ground.  
  
Shaolan's eyes widened, at the knot, he saw a thick damaged live wire that had been ripped apart by the weight of the Ferris wheel was waiting for Sakura to touch it. Sakura could not see the damaged live wire as the darkness different angle blinded her, and she was going to touch that damaged live wire.  
  
"SAKURA, DON'T TOUCH THAT KNOT!!" Shaolan cried.  
  
"Oh-e?" Sakura turned to the boy.  
  
Sakura succeed to open the door, but her hand also accidentally touched the damaged live wire. With the force of the powerful electric current from the damaged wire, Sakura was thrown to the opposite direction. Shaolan managed to catch her before she would crash against the wall of their Ferris.  
  
"Sakura!!" Holding the unconscious girl, Shaolan called her.  
  
The situation did not give him time to check her condition. The Ferris wheel tilted to fifty degree caused Shaolan and Sakura, who was unconscious in Shaolan's arms, slid through the opened door to outside that had nothing to catch them from falling down.  
  
-------------E N D--------------- To Be Continue Next ---------------------------------- 


	6. Part Six Sakura's Tear

------------------------------------------------------ Part Six: Sakura's Tear ------------------------------------------------------  
  
"The Ferris wheel is going to topple!!" A man shouted.  
  
The crowd screamed and ran away from the area for saving their life. The Ferris wheel stopped its own bending as a damaged knot that linked the core spindle of the Ferris wheel still had little capable to keep the Ferris wheel from totally toppled from its spindle.  
  
A door of a Ferris was snapped opened, and then the crowd could see the attractive force of the earth in pulled the bodies of a boy and a girl to the mid-air. The kids had nothing to prevent them from crushing against the earth.  
  
"Sakura!!"  
  
"Shaolan!"  
  
"Sakura-chan!"  
  
Touya, Fuutie, Tomoyo, Kero screamed the names of the kids. The crowd shrieked in terrifying.  
  
Even they were surrounding with the screaming sound of the crowd, but Li Shaolan did not hear any sound. He had something more important to concern than the screaming sound below him. Sakura was unconscious, and he had to do anything for protecting her. He reached his free hand out and caught a steel bar of the Ferris wheel, preventing them both from falling. As luck would have, it had no any damaged live wires coiled the bar.  
  
Withal, Shaolan was still in trouble. With the intensified illness he was having caused him had no strength to pull both of them—or at least only Sakura--to more safe position. What he could do now was simply hanged there, and he did not know how long he could hold.  
  
"Damn..." Shaolan cursed to himself.  
  
Finally Shaolan lost his last strength, his grip loosened from the steel bar, and then both him and unconscious Sakura fell down...  
  
Even so, while there were falling down, Shaolan still held the girl protectively. He did not give up yet. He must protect Sakura. While was in the mid-air, Shaolan tried to think of the way to protect her, to make her land on the ground safely.  
  
Cerberus spread his wings. The golden tiger flew up to the kids. It was not time to care if entire people in the Tomoeda amusement park would know his existence. It was the kids' lives that were more important than anything.  
  
Sakura and Shaolan fell onto Cerberus's back. Cerberus asked. "Hey! You two okay?"  
  
"Cerberus?" Holding Sakura in his arms, Shaolan mentally thanked God when he saw the guardian.  
  
Then the Ferris wheel totally was falling down onto them. Cerberus's eye widened, there was no way for them to escape. If he used his attack, the Ferris wheel would become a fiery wheel, which was worse.  
  
Cerberus's eye shut tight. Shaolan instinctively used his body to covered Sakura, protecting her....  
  
When they felt nothing came, Cerberus and Shaolan opened their eyes. They saw a huge killer whale was using its body to leverage the Ferris wheel from falling to them. Where was this killer whale come from? This thing certainly was a magic creature liked himself, Cerberus thought.  
  
"Cerberus, get out quick! Shiki-chan can't take it long!" Fuutie shouted from the crowd.  
  
"Shiki?" Cerberus uttered in wonder. Cerberus looked up at the killer whale Shiki with disbelief. That fat fish could transform to be this killer whale? But in any event, he should make questions later, for this present moment he had to get the kids out of danger. "Thanks!" he said to the killer whale Shiki and got out of the Ferris wheel.  
  
While the kids were on Cerberus's back, Sakura slowly opened her eyes, regaining her conscious. The first thing she saw was a huge killer whale before her and it caused her startled. "HO-E!!!!" She screamed and instinctively backed off with surprise, making her lost her balance again and falling from Cerberus's back.  
  
"Sakura!" Shaolan called out. He speedily caught her arm with one hand and other reached to her back. Shaolan held Sakura to him, keeping her from falling. "Sakura, are you all right?" Shaolan asked in concern.  
  
After recognizing that they were on Cerberus's back, and the boy was holding her, Sakura blushed furiously. Sakura pulled back from his embrace a little but enough to look at his face, she nodded meekly, "Y-Yes."  
  
Shaolan smiled at her. Thanked God, Sakura was safe, he thought.  
  
With relieve, Shaolan collapsed and let unconsciousness took over him. The last thing he could remember was Sakura cried his name.  
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
Cerberus, with Sakura and unconscious Shaolan on his back, landed on the ground safely. He heard a sound of the Ferris wheel crushed heavily to the ground with nobody hurt. A minute later Shiki-chan in the round pink shape drifted to the unconscious boy. The fish coiled around the boy with worry. Fuutie, Touya and Tomoyo ran to him, wanting to check the kids.  
  
"Sakura!" Touya called, running to his sister.  
  
"Sakura-chan, Li-kun!"  
  
"Oh...God, Shaolan..." Fuutie with worry about her unconscious little brother, but she tried her best to claim down. She swallowed the lump in her throat. "We have to take them to hospital first."  
  
"I will call an ambulance!" said Tomoyo, using her mobile phone to call an ambulance.  
  
"Li-kun! Li-kun!!" Sakura wept.  
  
The crowd began to gather the group. Fearing that the situation would be worst if the news of this entire event would be spread, Cerberus said, "Sakura, you have to use Erase to erase their memory before the ambulance come."  
  
"Li-kun, please wake up." Sakura did not hear her guardian. She kept calling the name of the boy over and over. Trembling, her tears fell loosely from her eyes. She was losing her wits. Her reaction stupefied Touya, Tomoyo, and Cerberus even Fuutie.  
  
"Sakura, calm down." Cerberus tried to console the girl. He used his face to nudge her shoulder lightly, but she did not notice him. Her mind was totally on the Chinese boy.  
  
"Sakura-chan," Tomoyo and Fuutie looked at the girl with worry.  
  
Lastly, Touya could not take the scene anymore. He walked, knelt down before Sakura and grasped her shoulders tightly but not hurt her. "SAKURA!" He shouted to his little sister's face, "Calm down and Listen! An ambulance's coming and will take that brat to hospital. He will be all right."  
  
"Onii-chan..." Sakura was stunned, looking at Touya with wide eyes. Her big brother had never shouted to her face before. But at any rate, it was successful to calm her down.  
  
"What you must do now is erase the memory of all these peoples here. Understand?" Touya said every word firmly.  
  
"Y-Yes, I understand." she nodded tentatively, wiping her tears.  
  
Touya gave a consoled smile at his little sister.  
  
"Erase!" Sakura called the card to erase the memory of all visitors of the Tomoeda amusement park.  
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
As an ordinary hospital, Tomoeda hospital had a big white waiting room with many lines of chairs for the relatives or friend of their patients to sit and worry while doctors were doing examinations.  
  
Touya, Tomoyo, Fuutie, Kero who was on Tomoyo's lap, and Shiki-chan was on Fuutie's lap, were sitting in the waiting room. They all were waiting for the doctors to come out from their examination rooms and told them the conditions of Sakura and Shaolan. This moment seemed to be eternal for them.  
  
Fuutie was evidently pallid. Her body was shaking, and her hands were cold. She did her best to stay clam but not much succeeded. She was very scared and worried about her little brother. She had planned to take the kids to the amusement park, intending to give Shaolan and Sakura time together for, at least for the last time, her little brother would have the good memory with the girl he loved before he would go back to the place he belonged. However this was the first time she had come to Japan, so she asked Tomoyo to help her. She had not expected it would turned to be a disaster, and her little brother was hurt. She had put the kids in this trouble. It was all her fault...  
  
Sensing its master was trembling, Shiki-chan tried to hug her with its short fins. The fish was trying to console its master. In turn, she caressed her fish.  
  
Sitting beside Fuutie, Tomoyo placed her hand on Fuutie's. "Sakura-chan and Li-kun will be all right, Fuutie-san." Tomoyo said softly.  
  
Kero nodded, "Yes, Li lady. Tomoyo's right."  
  
"If I did not offer an idea to go to the Ferris wheel, they wouldn't..."  
  
"It was an accident. No one knew it'd happen. Sakura and that brat will be fine." Touya said, not even looking at Fuutie, consoling her, but partially he was also trying to assure himself.  
  
Fuutie gave a tiny wan smile to all. "Thank you all very much."  
  
Another moment of anxiety past, finally an old doctor that checked Sakura and Shaolan' condition came out from his room with a nurse. Touya, Tomoyo, who was candled Kero, and Fuutie, who was holding Shiki-chan, rushed to the doctor.  
  
"You are family of Kinomoto Sakura?" the doctor asked.  
  
"I'm her brother." Touya told the doctor. Anxiety showed clearly on his face.  
  
The doctor nodded and smiled to Touya. "She has few bruises but nothing need to worry, Kinomoto-san. She has very good health, and she can go home now."  
  
Touya, Tomoyo, Fuutie, Kero and Shiki-chan sighed in relieve.  
  
"And who is family of Li Shaolan?"  
  
"I am, doctor. I'm his sister."  
  
"He is still unconscious, and he needs hospitalization for a few days, Li-san."  
  
"Why, doctor? Is he all right? Please give me all the detail." Fuutie said. The big sister really worried about her little brother.  
  
"He has very good health, Li-san, and he was not hurt, just has few bruises." The doctor said sedately.  
  
"If he was not hurt, why he has to stay, doctor?" asked Tomoyo.  
  
"Food poisoning."  
  
"En?" everyone was confused. What had the doctor said?  
  
"He was not hurt, but he has to stay because of food poisoning. He has stomach ache. And I think why he went unconscious because of food poisoning."  
  
"Only that? Food poisoning?" That brat made his little sister cried only he got food poisoning? Touya caused silently.  
  
"But it is really serious, Kinomoto-san. He believably ate something very not proper in past few days."  
  
"That's impossible, doctor," Fuutie said confidently. "I have cooked his meals for past days, and everything proper."  
  
The old doctor rose his eyebrows. "You have cooked all his meals?"  
  
Fuutie nodded, "Yes, doctor." Fuutie began to list out her abnormal receipts, from the first meal she had cooked for her little brother—rice gruel soup cooked with monkey brain--to the latest dinner-- the spaghetti ground lizard sauce, potato soup with fried snakeskin, and salad with plant roast worms.  
  
The doctor, the nurse, Touya, Tomoyo and Kero became paler and paler when they heard her list. No wondered why the boy had food poison, they all thought. Only thing they all wondered was how could the boy is so toughness.  
  
The doctor turned to the nurse who was standing beside him and secretly told the nurse to prevent any foods from Fuutie, just in case she cooked for the boy again. At lease the boy would not risk his life unnecessarily during he was in this hospital.  
  
To Touya, for once in his life, he pitied the brat, while Tomoyo only made an uneasy tittered with a big sweat drop appeared on her forehead.  
  
"Doctor, where is Sakura-chan?" Tomoyo asked.  
  
"Oh, she is inside the examination room. She refused to leave her friend, so I let her stay in there." The doctor answered while he led the group to the examination room where Sakura and sleeping Shaolan were.  
  
Touya, Fuutie and Tomoyo thanked the old doctor and the nurse as they left.  
  
The group peeped in the examination room and entered the room quietly, did not wanting to disturb the two little patients.  
  
Inside they saw the unconscious Shaolan was lying on an examined table. Sakura was sitting on a chair beside the examined table. She was holding his hand in hers both while staring at him with tears filled her eyes. She even did not notice that the group had entered the room.  
  
[When the same thing occurs again. When a person who is close to you end up by going some place far away, please think hard about how you feel then, and how it different with how you feel about my going. Because if you do that, you'll know who is the person you truly think of as your 'number one'.] Eriol's voice retold in Sakura's ears.  
  
I know it now, Eriol-kun, at last Sakura could find the answer to herself, person that I truly think of as my 'number one' She looked at sleeping Shaolan, holding his hand against her cheek, tears rolled down. "Li-kun..."  
  
"Sakura-chan." Tomoyo placed her little hand on Sakura's trembling shoulder. Worry was on her face.  
  
Sakura turned to Tomoyo. Then she hugged her friend, sobbing. "Tomoyo-chan... Li-kun, Li-kun..."  
  
Standing, Tomoyo hugged Sakura lightly, caressing her hair. "He will be all right, Sakura-chan. Doctor said he will be all right."  
  
Looking at his little sister, the big brother, Touya, was speechless. His little sister was crying. That brat made her cried. But it was not because of that brat menaced her, like the first time they had met ... Because that brat had protected his little sister with all effort he had... Because that brat loved his little sister... Touya clenched his fists, gritted his teeth. He had to admit it. The brat had done not bad job in protecting his little sister.  
  
"Are you hungry, Sakura-chan? This is almost 10 P.M. and you have not eaten anything since the lunch." Tomoyo asked.  
  
Sakura sniffled. "I-I'm not hungry, Tomoyo-chan."  
  
"But you have to eat something." Tomoyo resisted. "And the doctor could transfer him to a ward."  
  
Sakura turned to look at the sleeping Shaolan again, as if she expected him to wake up. When he did not, Sakura nodded tentatively. She did not want to leave him in this time, but she also did not want to retard the doctor's work.  
  
After the group had some meals for dinner, the unconscious Shaolan was transferred to inpatient department. The group went to his room for the last time before the consultation hours ended.  
  
"What you'll do tonight?" Touya asked Fuutie. In this situation, in the land that was not her homeland, it would be very frightening for a foreigner.  
  
Fuutie smiled at Touya and then everyone, thanking that they all worried about her. "I'll go back to Shaolan's apartment and get some necessary personal appliance of Shaolan's and mine, tell my family about Shaolan, and I'll come back to here again. I have to look for him."  
  
"If you have any problem, you could call me anytime, Fuutie-san." Tomoyo said while handed Fuutie her mobile phone number, as Touya also handed the phone number of his home.  
  
"Yes, Li lady, if anything I can help, I'll help." Kero added.  
  
Fuutie got the phone numbers and smiled gratefully. "Thank you a lot, Kinomoto-san, Tomoyo-chan, Cerberus." She and Shiki-chan gave them a thankful bow.  
  
"F-Fuutie-san..." Sakura called tentatively. Her voice filled with great care about the Chinese boy. She really wanted to look for the Chinese boy too, but after her big brother had called their father, he worried about her very much. Not wanting her father to worry, she should go home.  
  
Reading from the expression of the girl, Fuutie smiled to Sakura. "When Shaolan wake up, you'll the be first one I call, Sakura-chan." When she saw the anxiety was still shown on Sakura's face, she bent down to Sakura and rose her pinky finger of her right hand. "Pinky promise."  
  
Sakura made a little nod and interlaced her own pinky finger with Fuutie's. The pinky promise seemed to give little pacify to Sakura. "Thank you, Fuutie-san."  
  
Fuutie smiled at the girl.  
  
The group separated from each another. Tomoyo's bodyguards came to the hospital, so Tomoyo volunteered to take Fuutie and Shiki-chan to Shaolan's apartment, as Touya and Sakura went back to their home.  
  
After they had reached to the apartment, Fuutie and Shiki-chan thanked Tomoyo and then Tomoyo left.  
  
Walking to Shaolan's room in his apartment, Fuutie unlocked the door and came in. She looked at the telephone in the main room. She could almost image what would happen, especially with her three little sisters, if she told her family about Shaolan had to stay in hospital.  
  
"Shiki-chan," Fuutie sighed, "You know I think It is going to be a long talk."  
  
Shiki-chan nodded in understanding. The magic creature padded Fuutie's shoulder by its fin soothingly.  
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
Publicity always starved for the news. Especially the news of the disasters like what had happened in the Tomoeda amusement park. With the technological assistance, they could announce the news right away in the night of the disaster. And in the morning, the news of the disaster could be found on the first page of all local newsprint and in television's morning news.  
  
However with all of memory of the witnesses were erased, no one could inform what had really occurred. How the biggest Ferris wheel had toppled with no one had hurt. How the peoples who had sat in the Ferris wheel had came out from it. That was very wire that the real disaster had happened, but no one could remember the event.  
  
Then, in the morning news, many peoples came out to give their opinions. Some said it was an alien had caused the disaster. Some said it had to be a miracle from God that no one hurt. Even so, the truth still could not be found, and it would likely be a topic of discussion for a while.  
  
In the afternoon, on the way to the Tomoeda hospital, Yukito was walking, carrying a big basket of fruits. Touya was walking by his side. They intended to visit the Chinese boy.  
  
"It's very good thing that no one hurt," said Yukito.  
  
Touya nodded in agree. He was obviously not in good mood.  
  
"What about Sakura-chan?" Yukito asked.  
  
Touya's blood vein instantly popped on his forehead. "She came here right away after she had finished breakfast."  
  
"Sakura seems to worry about him very much." Yukito pointed out, as the matter of the fact.  
  
Some more blood veins popped on his forehead, Touya walked ahead quickly. Kinomoto Touya was truly not in good mood.  
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
Shaolan opened his eyes tardily. He brought his hand to prevent the light from neon tube on the ceiling that lashing out his eyes. It was not ceiling of his bedroom. Shaolan's eye opened wide, he began to search around, wanting to know where he was.  
  
All he could see was he was in a white room that had light smell of germ killer and a big window on the opposite side of a big door of the room. The room was obviously a room in a hospital. Then he saw someone was sitting beside the bed he was lying. It was Sakura. She felt asleep with her head rested on his bed. A coat that he remembered it was his big sister's wrapped on her little shoulders, keeping her warm. At a corner of the room he saw his big sister and her magic creature were sitting on a sofa. They also felt asleep.  
  
Shaolan sat up quietly, not wanting to wake anyone up, and looked at the sleeping Sakura. He could not help to run his hand tentatively to bush some hair out of her closed eyes, but he stopped before his hand touched her, fearing that he would wake her up.  
  
Sakura stirred. "Li-kun..." She murmured in her sleep. A tiny drop of tear leaked from her closed eye.  
  
"Sakura..." Shaolan did not know whether he should blush because she had said his name in her sleep, or worry about her because she was crying in her sleep. Instead of choosing to do one, he did both. He reached out and wiped tears from her face gently.  
  
She stirred again when his hand made the contract. Shaolan drew it back jerkily and blushed even deeper.  
  
Sakura slowly opened up her eyes, half-awaking. Her sleepiness brushed away when she saw that the Chinese boy had awoken and now was looking at her. "Li-kun!" Sakura cried and threw her arms around him.  
  
Fuutie and Shiki-chan waked outright when they heard Sakura shouted the name. "Shaolan?" She and Shiki-chan rushed to him for checking him, but when she saw the reddened Shaolan, who was being hugged by Sakura, was all right, she grinned at him. "Good morning, Shaolan."  
  
As Sakura loosened her hug, the still reddened Shaolan asked, confusing, "F-Fuutie-oneesan, S-S-Sakura, what happened?"  
  
Losing her hug, Sakura supplied the answer, "You collapsed when we were on Kero-chan's back, Li-kun."  
  
"Afterwards an ambulance brought you and Sakura-chan here, and doctor said you need hospitalization for few days." Fuutie added up.  
  
"Why I have to stay here for few days?"  
  
"You get food poisoning, Shaolan."  
  
"Oh." Shaolan uttered. So, the stomachache I have had for past few days isn't because of stress but food poisoning. He inwardly wondered why he was not surprised at all.  
  
Fuutie leaned to her little brother, checking him. "How do you feel now?"  
  
"I'm fine, Fuutie-oneesan."  
  
Fuutie sighed. Could her little brother say only this answer? If he was fine as he said, he would not has to be in this room. "Are you hungry, Shaolan? You have been unconscious almost a day..."  
  
Shaolan sweat dropped. His big sister would cook for him again?  
  
"... So I'll tell nurse to bring you meal." Fuutie finished. Hearing Shaolan's stomach growled, she smiled at the deep red Shaolan. "Okay, I'll go out to tell the nurse." She reached to the knot of the door, but before she went out, she turned to Shaolan. "By the way, Shaolan, you should thanks Sakura-chan. She was really about you a lot." Seeing the kids reddened rapidly, she smiled and left the room, taking Shiki-chan with her.  
  
Sitting in the room, Sakura and Shaolan were blushing furiously. They both looked down, too shying to look at each other's face.  
  
"Well..." Shaolan began, blushing deeply. "Thank you."  
  
"N-No. It... It's me that want to thanks you. You helped me."  
  
"...I didn't do anything." Shaolan felt shamed. She had been in trouble because he was not strong enough. If only he was stronger than this.  
  
Sakura looked at him, then she shook her head, tears staked on her eyes. "You always help me and give me courage, Li-kun. I wouldn't know what to do if you were not with me." Shaolan stared at her, as she continued with her smile. "Thank you, ne."  
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
Finishing tell a nurse that her little had regained his conscious and he wanted some meal, when she heard they were talking, Fuutie waited outside of Shaolan's room in the hospital. She did not want to disrupt the private talk of the kids. Fuutie rested her back on the wall near the door and closed her eyes. The young woman was obviously very tired. Partially she had been looking after her little brother since yesterday and partially she had had to manage to tell her family about her little brother had to stay in hospital. They all really worried about the only son of the family and had taken the news not so easy for the big sister to explain. Certainly, the conversation had been a very long talk.  
  
She opened her eyes when Shiki-chan tapped her shoulder, then she could saw the second Kinomoto and the other form of Yue with a big basket of fruits walked to her. Tomoyo with a bunch of flowers came from another way.  
  
"Ah, that's Tomoyo-chan." Yukito said. Touya nodded in remark that he saw the girl.  
  
"Good morning." Tomoyo greeted Yukito, Touya and Fuutie.  
  
"Good morning." Fuutie smiled at them and bowed to them as Touya, Yukito and Tomoyo did so.  
  
"Tsukishiro Yukito, nice to meet you." Yukito introduced himself.  
  
"Li Fuutie, nice to meet you too." Actually Fuutie knew Yukito from Shaolan's letters and Tomoyo's video but she should introduce herself for social matter.  
  
"What about him?" asked Yukito.  
  
"He has just awoken. Please come in." She opened the door, leading them inside.  
  
Yukito entered the room. He saw Sakura was sitting beside the bed that Shaolan was sitting on. He smiled at them when the kids turned to him and Touya.  
  
Standing abruptly, Sakura called out in surprise. "Yukito-san? Onii-chan? Tomoyo-chan?"  
  
"H-Hello!" Seeing Yukito, Shaolan's face became red immediately, as the effect of attractiveness of power Yukito had toward him. He went rigid and stood up sharply. But the truth was he had just regain his consciousness, his body could not feed blood to his head quick enough, causing the world in his perceive went dark and lost his balance.  
  
"Ho-e! Li-kun!" Seeing the boy began to fell startled Sakura. She quickly caught the boy from felling, helping him to uphold his balance.  
  
"T-Thanks." Shaolan blushed furiously when he recognized his was leaning to Sakura.  
  
"Are you okay, Li-kun?" Sakura asked with concern.  
  
"Y-Y-Yes." Cherry red-liked Shaolan answered.  
  
"You should not make any quick move, you know, Shaolan." Fuutie chided her little brother, trying her best to make her tone of voice to be a lectured tone at the red face boy. She was amazed by how much the power of other form of Yue affected her little brother. Honestly, I love to see him blush, he's very cute when he do it. Fuutie thought.  
  
"Sorry." Shaolan said, feeling guilty.  
  
Seeing the scene, Yukito could also see the great concern in Sakura's eyes for the boy. Yukito glanced at the young man beside him. He tried to suppress his laughter when he saw Touya's blood vessels popped instantly. Shiki-chan started to look around the room, wondering why the temperature of the room heightened all of sudden. Tomoyo never missed the chance to record the impressive moment in her video camera. He knew now why the second Kinomoto seemed to be in bad mood.  
  
Yukito smiled to the kids and walked to them. "Hello." He greeted and handed the basket of Fruit to Shaolan. "I wish you'll get well soon."  
  
"I wish you get well soon too, Li-kun," Tomoyo smiled, handing the boy the bunch of flowers.  
  
Shaolan got the basket and the flowers from Yukito and Tomoyo. "Thank you."  
  
Yukito sat on a chair near Sakura. "How do you feel?" He asked the boy.  
  
"I-I am-am fine." Shaolan answered stiffly, blushing.  
  
Fuutie rose her eye browns. She could not help to remark that her little brother had said 'I-am-fine' answer again.  
  
They stayed in the room, talking, for another moment before they heard the sound of phone that was on the small desk beside the bed in the room rang.  
  
Fuutie reached for the phone and picked it up. "Hello?" She began.  
  
"My daughter, it's me." The voice from the other line said. It was woman-like voice. The voice was full with mercy and power.  
  
Fuutie's eyes widened in surprise. She knew whose the voice was very well. "Mother?" Touya, Yukito, Tomoyo, Sakura and Shaolan turned to Fuutie immediately. "How could you know telephone number of this hospital?" She asked.  
  
"It is not difficult to get the phone number of a hospital, my dear." The mother and leader of 'Li' clan, Li Leran, said in equable and steady tone. "What about Shaolan? Your younger sisters and me really worry about him."  
  
Fuutie smiled through the phone when she recalled how her all younger sisters had reacted when they had gotten the news—through their screams—last night, "Shaolan have just awakened for a while, mother." Fuutie heard her mother sighed in relieve, all together with other sighs. She knew her three younger sisters were with her mother too.  
  
"I want to talk with him, my dear." Leran said.  
  
"Yes, mother." Fuutie accepted the request. Then she turned to her little brother and handed him the phone. "Shaolan, mother wants to talk to you. Her and your three big sisters really worry about you, you know."  
  
Shaolan nodded his head, "Thank you, Fuutie-oneesan." Getting the phone from Fuutie, he began, "Hello, mother?"  
  
"Shaolan, my son." The Chinese boy could tell by only listen to his mother's voice that she really worried about him. "How do you feel, my dear?"  
  
"I'm all right, mother. Sorry for making you worry."  
  
"I am glad to know you are all right. By the way, I really miss you, my son."  
  
Shaolan's eyes were soft. "I miss you too, mother."  
  
"Mother, please let us talk to him." Shaolan heard other voices whispered from other line.  
  
"All right, my dears." Leran approved her daughters' request. "My son, your big sisters want to talk to you too." Then Leran handed the phone to her daughters.  
  
"Hello!! Shaolan!!!" The three sharp voices said loudly at once. The voices were sharp and loud enough to make Shaolan flinched away a little from the earphone he was holding, and all the visitors in the room heard the voices.  
  
"Onee-san?" said Shaolan.  
  
Hearing the voice of their little brother, the three big sisters charged him questions. "Are you all right??"  
  
"I'm fi--"  
  
"We all really worry about you!!"  
  
"Err--"  
  
"How could it happen, Shaolan??"  
  
"Err--"  
  
"How do you feel now??"  
  
"I--"  
  
"Do you hurt anywhere? Any bruises? Broken legs? Broken arms?"  
  
"No-No--"  
  
"We thought you were going to die!! Thanks God you're alive!! You know what, we were really about you until we could not sleep last night!!"  
  
Touya, Yukito, Tomoyo sweat drops. The boy could not even finish a sentence while his three big sisters kept shooting him a series of question.  
  
Fuutie started to giggle soft. It was always like this whenever their only one little brother talked with them. A small smile appeared on Shaolan's face. They all were the same. Nothing changed.  
  
While everyone' attentions were on the one-side conversation, Sakura's head bowed down lightly. She stood up from the chair she sat and walked out of the room. She walked out to verandah that had a mini garden, which was on the same floor of Shaolan's room. She sat down on a bench that was on the center of the garden. Sakura could not help but a drop let of tear came down from her eye.  
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
Shaolan felt little exhaust. He felt it whenever he talked to his four big sisters at once—even they were only three--it was still effectively wore him out. Nonetheless, he was glad that he could talk with his mother and his big sisters. He really missed them all.  
  
When the Chinese boy hung up the phone, and turned he realized that Sakura and Tomoyo were not in the room.  
  
Before Shaolan could ask or say anything, the knocking sound could be heard from the door. They turned to the door and saw a nurse was opening the door. She brought a tray that carrying Shaolan's meal with her.  
  
The nurse smiled kindly to Fuutie. "It's lunch you ordered for him, Li-san,"  
  
"Thank you," Fuutie smiled back to the nurse.  
  
Then the nurse walked to the little patient, still smiling, she set the food tray on the one of the table in the room. "It's great to see you regain your consciousness, Li-kun. How do you feel now?"  
  
"I'm fine."  
  
The nurse smiled to Shaolan, nodding, then she left the room.  
  
Looking at his wristwatch, Yukito realized it was time for part-time job. He stood up. "It's time we have to go now, Li-san. To-ya and I have part time job."  
  
Fuutie stood up and said as a social relationship matter, "I'll walk you two out." Then she turned to Shiki-chan. "Looking for Shaolan while I'm out, okay?" Seeing the magic creature nodded, she rewarded the fish with her beautiful smile.  
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
In the garden, Tomoyo stood still, looking at Sakura's back that facing her. When she had seen her friend had walked out of the room, she had quickly followed.  
  
Tomoyo was filled with worry about her friend. "Sakura-chan." She called.  
  
"Yes, Tomoyo-chan?" Sakura replied, not looking back at her friend. Her head was still bowing down lightly.  
  
Tomoyo looked at Sakura's back. Although she did not see Sakura's face, she could tell Sakura was not happy. She could feel it in the voice of her dearest friend.  
  
"Tomoyo-chan... His family... His family really worry about him, and miss him a lot..."  
  
Not saying anything, Tomoyo simply nodded.  
  
"And, I know, he too... miss his family a lot..." Sakura said with tiny, waved voice. "He'll go back to his family soon... I...I should happy with him that...that he can go back home. I...should..." A sniff sound came from Sakura. "But why... why I don't feel that way at all..."  
  
Tomoyo sat down next to Sakura and placed her hand on Sakura's shoulder.  
  
"I'm a bad person, Tomoyo-chan..."  
  
Tomoyo wrapped her arms around her dearest friend. "Can I ask you a question, Sakura-chan?" She asked softly.  
  
Sakura nodded. "Y-Yes."  
  
"What did you think when Hiiragizawa-kun and Mizuki-sensei left, Sakura-chan?"  
  
"I... just... I just thought it was bad... but I thought I could write to them..."  
  
"And with Li-kun?"  
  
Sakura sniffled. "It's... It's hurt a lot when... I think that... that he's leaving...that I can't meet him anymore..." Tears rolled from her emerald eyes. "I... I can't... can't stop crying."  
  
Stroking Sakura's hair lightly, Tomoyo only nodded.  
  
"E-Eriol-kun used to ask me before he left Tomoeda... He said when the same thing occurs again. When a person who... who's close to me end up by... by going some place far away. Eriol-kun wanted me to think hard about how I feel, and how it different with how I feel about his going. And I'll know who is the person I truly think of as your 'number one'."  
  
"Have you found the answer, Sakura-chan?"  
  
"Y-Yes." Sakura nodded, burying her face on Tomoyo's shoulder. "I know now, Tomoyo-chan. The person I love the most is Li-kun..."  
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
Touya, Yukito and Fuutie were standing on the way to the garden where Sakura and Tomoyo were talking. After they had left the room, Touya and Yukito had decided to find the two girls to inform them that they were going to leave.  
  
Certainly, they had found the two girls. But before they had called the girls, they had stopped because they realized that Sakura was crying in Tomoyo's arms. Furthermore they unintentionally heard the entire conversation between the girls.  
  
To Fuutie, she was not quite surprised. From the reaction of the girl in past days, especially since yesterday, she could know that Sakura did not think of her little brother as just a friend. The girl was truly worrying about her little brother. Fuutie almost sensed the feeling that the couple reciprocated to each other. It made her even more pitied the little couple.  
  
To Yukito, he used to say, in the 'Star road', to Sakura that when she found some one she loved most and if that person made her cried, he would beat the person for her. He had given his word. It was funny. Sakura was crying now, before his eyes, but he could not beat the person that made her cried for her.  
  
Yukito glanced at Touya and saw that, instead of an angry expression he had expected to see, the blank expression mixed with something indecipherable were on the big brother's face.  
  
The helpless feeling was bellowing inside Touya. His little sister was crying. He hated it. He hated this feeling. The helpless feeling that he could sense from someone needing help overtimes, like when he had sensed from Yuki's another form or when a spirit that used Sakura's appearance he had found times ago. And that feeling drove him to take an action, to help them out of their problems. Especially when it was concern with Sakura. He had to do something for his sister.  
  
Again that he had to do something. Touya started to walk, making his way back to Shaolan's room.  
  
"To-ya, where are you going?" Yukito asked.  
  
Without turning back, he stopped and said, "That brat. We must talk." When he did not hear any objection from Fuutie, he walked away to Shaolan's room.  
  
Fuutie only looked at the back of the big brother as he left. Even the young man and her little brother did not like each other, but maybe, in the situation that she could not do anything much to help the kids, Touya might be the most suitable person that could talk to her little brother. So she let him. But one thing had dashed in her mind now.  
  
"Tsukishiro-san, can I ask you one thing?"  
  
"Yes, Li-san?"  
  
"What's 'brat' in Japanese language means? I've heard Kinomoto-san said it many times." Fuutie asked curiously.  
  
A big sweat drop appeared on Yukito's head. He laughed off nervously. The young woman seemed really did not know the meaning of the word his friend called her little brother. He wondered if his friend realized that he still kept calling the kid names right in front of his big sister. It was probably out of habit, Yukito assumed. Now Yukito had to find the best way to explain the meaning to the brat's big sister.  
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
Shaolan was eating his lunch with Shiki-chan, which was drifting in the air at the opposite site of him, was *looking for* him. The magic creature was following the command Fuutie had assigned to it. Actually Shiki-chan only *looked* and *looked* eyes to eyes at Shaolan while he was eating, as it was only thing the magic creature could do.  
  
The intensified look from the magic creature made Shaolan was little uneasy. "Ah..." he started, "wants some?" He asked the magic creature, offering his meal to it.  
  
Shiki-chan waved its fin, making gesture that could be interpreted as 'no, master Fuutie wants me to looking for master Shaolan.'  
  
"Oh," Shaolan uttered. How silly he had asked that question to Shiki? He knew Shiki was a magic creature, like Cerberus and Yue, it did not need to eat anything and he never saw Shiki ate too. But having Shiki stared at him made he felt he should said something. "Well, you don't need to do that. I can take care of myself."  
  
Shiki-chan winced when it heard that. The magic creature was confused. Master Fuutie had said to look for master Shaolan, but master Shaolan said didn't. How it should do? As much as the magic creature thought as much as it confused the fish. Shiki-chan began to roll itself involuntary in confuse until the world of the fish began to spin around.  
  
A big sweat drop appeared on Shaolan's forehead when he saw the rolling Shiki-chan. Realizing that his words made the magic creature confused, he quickly held his hands out, wanting the fish calmed down. "H-Hey, all right, all right. You do what Fuutie-oneesan told you."  
  
Shiki-chan quickly snapped back from the spinning world. The magic creature nodded eagerly and continue to *looking for* Shaolan, eyes to eyes.  
  
Shaolan sighed. He practically wished anyone to enter the room, to rescues him from Shiki-chan's staring.  
  
As if a gift from God that was given right away to him, Shaolan heard the knocking sound from the door. "Come in," he said.  
  
Touya opened the door and entered with not friendly in his eyes as he usually did to a particular person. He exchanged a glare with the brat. "Can we talk?" Touya asked with firm and evenly in his tone of voice.  
  
Shaolan was little startled when he heard that. This was the very first time Sakura's big brother actually wanted to make conversation with him. With the unexpected action from Touya, causing Shaolan let go of some of his guard toward Touya. The boy nodded, agreeing to make conversation.  
  
Touya walked to the boy, but still keep just-enough-to-talk distance between them. "I'll go to the point," Touya began his conversation with the brat, not wanting to waste time, "How do you feel about my sister?"  
  
Shaolan's eyes widened. His face was red instantly. The shot question from the young man, causing him almost fell from the bed. "W-W-W-What??"  
  
"Not only a friend, am I right?"  
  
Trying to compose himself, the red-face Shaolan looked slightly away.  
  
Beholding the brat, this was the first time the brat practically not glared back at him, Touya thought. He knew he deadly hit the right point. "Why don't you tell her then?"  
  
"It isn't concern to you." Shaolan said, no heat in his voice.  
  
"Everything concerns to me as long as it makes my sister upsets." Touya stated, keeping his voice equally.  
  
Shaolan turned to Touya, his eyes widened. Never in his life he wanted to cause her any upset. "Sakura unsets?"  
  
"Why don't you tell her what your feel?" Touya repeated his question in calm.  
  
Shaolan turned away. The statement about Sakura was upsetting caused Shaolan totally off guard. "Because," he replied almost with small voice, "I'm going back home." Touya listened patiently as the boy continued. "If I tell her now, she'll think she hurt my feeling and she'll upset..."  
  
Touya nodded, understanding. The brat knew his little sister very well.  
  
"But if I don't tell her anything and leave, she'll not upset..."  
  
Touya silenced as he studied the brat before him. He knew the brat cared of his sister not less than he did. Everything the brat did was because of he concerned greatly about his little sister. "Yesterday," said Touya, "I could see you did not bad job in protecting her."  
  
Shaolan turned to look at Touya again, confusing. What the young man was getting at?  
  
"I admit you for that." Touya paused a second, still looking at the brat directly and then continued, "don't tell me you'll make my sister upsets only the going back home reason of yours."  
  
"Are you telling me you want me to tell her my feeling?" Shaolan asked in skepticism.  
  
Touya wheeled himself around, intending to leave the room. "You're the one I believe that will never upset her," he replied over his shoulder. He opened the door and closed it, leaving the brat alone to think.  
  
Sitting on his bed, Shaolan dumb found as the conversation still spiraled in his head. The young man wanted him to tell Sakura his feeling? He had thought the young man would have been happy if he stayed away from his little sister.  
  
[Don't tell me you'll make my sister upsets only the going back home reason of yours] Touya voice repeated in Shaolan's head.  
  
Sakura was upsetting... Shaolan gripped the bed sheep tight. Then he swung his legs, getting out of the bed. Li Shaolan made another decision in his life.  
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
In the garden, Tomoyo and Sakura were sitting on a bench in the middle of the garden. Holding crying Sakura, Tomoyo smiled to her friend, as if she knew the answer for long time. She inwardly wondered if the part of Clow Reed's reincarnation knew the answer too. "Will you tell him your feeling?"  
  
"But-but he's going back to Hong Kong..."  
  
"Because he is going back to Hong Kong make you love him less?"  
  
Sakura paused. She looked at her dearest friend a minute and then shook her head. "N-No."  
  
Tomoyo used her handkerchief wiped tears from Sakura's face. "Then it will be all right."  
  
Sakura blinked made tears fell down from her eyes.  
  
Tomoyo held Sakura's hands in hers. "Remember, Sakura-chan, you have the strongest magic in the world, and the most powerful magic you have is in here..." Tomoyo leaded Sakura's hands to put them on Sakura's chest. "In your heart."  
  
Sakura stared down at her hands that were holding her heart. She closed her eyes, feeling the most powerful power she had in her.  
  
Tomoyo smiled. "Please don't give up and be strong. Because of you love him the most, then everything will be all right."  
  
Sakura looked at Tomoyo, then nodded. She he wiped tears away then smiled brightly. It was the smile that told Tomoyo that 'Sakura' came back to her again. Sakura hugged her dearest friend. "Thank you very much, Tomoyo-chan!" Then Sakura stood up and ran in the building, heading to Shaolan's room.  
  
"Way to go, Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo cheered, holding her video camera in her hand.  
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
Shaolan ran out of his room with a jacket draped on his shoulder. He wanted to find Sakura, to find the girl who he loved. As fast as possible, he wanted desperately to tell her he loved her the most.  
  
Then he stopped when he found her on the way to the garden, as she also stopped when she found him.  
  
"Li-kun..."  
  
"Sakura..."  
  
Sakura and Shaolan stared at each other for a long moment. As if they were drew to each other. As if they were being under the spell. As if the time was stopped moving. As if there had nobody but only two of them. Neither of them knew how to begin, or how to tell their feeling to the person who was standing before them... the person who they loved... the most.  
  
"Li... Li-kun..." Sakura began staggeringly. "I... I...." Her face was red. Her heat was beating loudly. Her hands clutched on her chest tight as if she was trying to keep her heart from burst out of her chest.  
  
Shaolan, whose face as red as Sakura, took a deep breath. "Sakura." He called her clam and steady in his voice. "I have something to tell you."  
  
Tentatively, Sakura nodded. "Yes, Li-kun."  
  
The kids walked to the garden. Shaolan was little distance away from her. He turned to her. "Sakura."  
  
"Y-Yes?"  
  
"I..." Looking at her, Shaolan began. His face showed the determination. "I love you."  
  
Sakura's emerald eyes widened. What had he just said? She almost could not believe her ears. Had he... had he said...  
  
"The person I love the most is you, Sakura." Shaolan said every word clear. "That is what I want to tell you."  
  
"Li-kun..." Looking at him, Sakura trailed off, as emotion overwhelmed her. She did not even know that her body was trembling. "Li-kun..." Tears welled in her eyes as all emotion she had overwhelmed her. "Li-kun..."  
  
Sakura's tears induced Shaolan began to worry about her. Did he make her cry? Should not he say the words to her?  
  
Sakura reached her arms out and jumped to Shaolan, almost causing them both fell down to the floor. Her arms were holding around his neck. "I love you too, Li-kun!"  
  
With Shock, Shaolan's eyes went wide, his mouth hung down. He, too, did not believe what he had just heard. Had he heard it right? "Sakura?"  
  
"You are the person I love the most, Li-kun!" Sakura did not really know that she was crying. Her heart filled with the great happiness. Her tears of joy broke free from her eyes, wetting his shirt, as her face was burying onto his shoulder.  
  
Trembling, Shaolan's hands reached to embraced her gently. He smiled with happiness. "Sakura, I love you."  
  
"I love you, Li-kun."  
  
"The most..." Shaolan said softly to her, to himself.  
  
Sakura nodded onto his shoulder. "The most..."  
  
* * * * * * * * *  
  
Gathering on the entering way to the garden and watching the kids, there had Fuutie was holding Shiki-chan that she managed to catch it before her little brother would have gone to the garden with Sakura, while it had dutifully followed her little brother out of the room, Yukito and Tomoyo, who was taping the scene, were smiling jubilantly. They were happy with the little couple.  
  
Fuutie brushed tears from her eyes, to watch the scene clear, to remember it. Her little brother was smiling. He smiled because he was happy. That smile was what she wanted to see on his face. She brushed her tears again, just wondered why they kept coming, but she did not care. Seeing Tomoyo was taping the event, she just planed to ask Tomoyo for a copy later. Shiki-chan was clapping its fins together, happy to see the kids was happy.  
  
Taping the event, Tomoyo smiled. At last her Sakura could find out the answer by herself. She was happy to know Sakura was happy.  
  
"I'm happy with Sakura-chan," Yukito said, he was very glad that at last Sakura found someone that she thought of him, and he thought of her, as 'the first'. He turned to Touya and sent him a teased smile. "Nice job, Onii-chan."  
  
"Shut up," Touya commanded. Turning his heard away to the other side, Touya was only one that did not look at the kids.  
  
Yukito only chuckled in reply.  
  
Touya was frowning. The displeasure was expressed clearly on his face. He wondered if he had done the right thing, losing his little sister he always protected for all of his life to the brat...  
  
Finally, the big brother could manage to turn to look at the scene with brotherly expression. By the scene he saw, by the great happiness that he could feel in the voice of his little sister, by her tears of happiness that flowed from her eyes. Those affirmed him. Sakura was happy. That was what he most wanted, did not he? Touya's lips curved up lightly. He had done the right thing.  
  
-------------E N D--------------- To Be Continue Next ----------------------------------- 


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